The Assassin
by Coffee Monsta
Summary: Almost a year ago, Will was kidnapped. No one had been able to find him and no one knew who took him.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is just an idea that popped into my head. I'll warn you now, this story is going to be angsty and violent. So if you don't like angst and violence, then don't read this. Try to go easy on me, this is one of my first stories and there will probably be mistakes, but please try not to be too harsh. :)**

 **Disclaimer- The characters in this story belong to John Flanagan! I don't own any of them... but I wish I did...**

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Halt was out on a routine hunting trip to stock up on provisions for the coming winter. It was already starting to get cold in Redmont Fief. The chilly breeze felt like hundreds of prickly needles as it brushed past his face. It had been nearly a year since Will was kidnapped. There had been search parties swarming all over Araluen searching for the missing Ranger, but there was no sign of him. It was almost as if he never existed in the first place.

Halt still blamed himself for his former apprentice's kidnapping, but deep down he knew there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. He felt so useless and guilty, but he had buried his feelings, determined to find Will.

But after a while he had begun to lose hope. He searched and searched, never leaving a stone unturned, but there was nothing. No clues, no signs, nothing whatsoever that he could use to point him in the right direction.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a slight rustle in the grass. A normal person wouldn't have heard such a faint sound, but he wasn't a normal person. He was a Ranger. He silently glided in and out of cover, following the sound. He had already ruled out the possibility of the sound being made by an animal. Animals didn't try so hard to be quiet. Something was definitely out of place, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it...

He saw a flash of black to his left, out of the corner of his eye. He heard the hiss of a blade being drawn and pivoted to the right, narrowly avoiding the powerful thrust that had been aimed at his throat. In one fluent, practiced movement, his saxe knife was drawn and he was ready to counter any attack the person might try to surprise him with.

He swiftly parried another killing blow and lunged at his assailant. The man dodged his attack just in time and continued to block his attacks. Halt noticed the man favoured his left leg and he knew that was his weak spot. The man wore a black cloak, the cowl hiding his face from view. He was a bit shorter than average and there was something vaguely familiar in the way he moved... He pushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand.

Whoever he was, the man had been trained well. Very well. He was skilled at hand to hand combat, but still had a few things left to learn. This worked in Halt's favor. As the man went in for another attack, he ducked and the man was thrown off balance for a fraction of a second.

That was all the time he needed to get the upper hand. He kicked his feet out from under him and put his knife to his throat. The man lie flat on his back, panting. He didn't dare move muscle, knowing a move like that would probably get him killed. Halt put more pressure on the blade and the man dropped his knife.

Then his cowl fell back, revealing his face. And Halt found himself looking into the cold, dark eyes of Will Treaty.

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 **A/N: I know this chapter was short, but it's only the prologue. Don't worry, the next one will be longer, I promise! REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 1

_And Halt found himself looking into the now cold, dark eyes of Will Treaty._

Halt tried to speak, but his throat felt really dry. He was too amazed that Will was here, _actually_ here. But why had he tried to kill him? That was what thoroughly confused him. Something felt very wrong.

He almost didn't recognize him, but he could never forget Will's face. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes and he had several scars on his face that hadn't been there before he was taken.

His unruly brown hair had also gotten longer. But what scared Halt the most were his eyes. The usually warm, caring brown eyes were now dark, and cold. Halt had never seen Will's eyes like that before, and he didn't like it.

"Let me go!" Will snarled.

Now Halt _knew_ something was wrong. Will never used that tone with him, and on the rare occasion that he did, he spent the night in a tree. While Halt had him pinned, he took all of his weapons. He had his longbow and arrows, throwing knives, a saxe knife, strikers, and multiple bottles of assorted poisons. That was odd. Rangers don't carry any poisons. He filed the information away for later.

After several minutes of searching for any concealed weapons, Halt got up but still kept a tight hold on Will's wrist. He noticed he was limping heavily and wondered why. As soon as he was off the ground, Will lashed out with his legs, trying to kick Halt's legs out from under him. But the older Ranger was ready for it. He dodged Will's kick, setting him off balance and twisted his arm behind his back. Will gave a sharp gasp, but stayed still.

Halt walked over to where Will's knife lay in the grass and picked it up. It was Will's saxe knife. He sheathed his saxe and started walking in the direction of their cabin. He hadn't brought Abelard with him because he was close enough to the house to just walk.

The younger man struggled and squirmed in his grip, his eyes darting around seeking an escape route. But after almost a whole year of him being gone, Halt wasn't even going to let him out of his sight, much less was he going to let him run off.

Will had fought against him the entire trip to the cabin. It should have been a short trip, but Will made it seem like hours before they turned around a bend, and they could _finally_ see the cabin. As the cabin came into view, Halt saw a tall figure wearing a mottled green and grey cloak sitting on the veranda. (Yay! Gilan has come! Yea, he was here to visit Halt because he hadn't seen him for a while).

His happiness didn't last long though, Will saw the cabin too and fought even harder to get away from Halt. Gilan saw him practically dragging a person towards the cabin and went to help. He didn't know who it was until he got up close and saw the person's face.

He froze. The person Halt had with him was Will, his best friend that had been missing for almost a year. Millions of questions flashed through his head at an alarming speed and he swayed slightly.

"Gilan, help me get him inside!" Halt said in a commanding tone.

Halt's voice snapped him out of it, and he rushed over to help. He grabbed Will's other arm and they dragged him inside. When they got inside, Halt held Will while Gilan grabbed a chair and some rope. He brought the chair into the living room and they tied his hands and feet to the chair.

"Let me go!" Will yelled angrily.

He couldn't get the knots untied and it frustrated him. Halt sat down on the couch beside Gilan, trying to catch his breath. Will thrashed in the chair trying to get the knots loose, but to no avail. After a few minutes, he got tired and gave up. Halt noticed his leg was bleeding and silently cursed himself. He was the one to break the silence that had settled over the room.

"Gilan, I need you to go get a healer." He said quietly.

Gilan, knowing that it was best not to question Halt's orders, nodded dumbly and ran out the door. He saddled up Blaze and bolted for castle Redmont. Blaze sensed his uneasiness and started getting worried.

 _Is something wrong, Gilan?_

 _I don't know yet Blaze._

The rest of the ride was quiet and they were there in a short time. Gilan cared for Blaze, then ran to the infirmary, hoping to find Lucas (the head healer). It didn't take long to find him. He was treating a Battleschool apprentice who had probably been injured during training. Gilan walked into the large room and over to Lucas.

"Lucas, I need your help!"

"Okay, give me just a minute." He said politely.

After a short while, Lucas finished treating the Battleschool apprentice, grabbed his supplies, and walked over to Gilan. They ran to the stables and Lucas borrowed a horse while Gilan saddled up Blaze. The trip back was quiet too.

That was one of the things Gilan liked about Lucas. He didn't ask questions. He was especially thankful for that because he probably didn't know the answers. They reached the cabin after a few minutes and they dismounted their horses and went inside.

When Lucas saw Will he stopped. Everyone all over Araluen knew that Will had gone missing and was searching for him. The fact that he was tied to a chair in Halt's living room didn't look good.

"We'll explain later, his left leg is bleeding. I tried to stop the bleeding but all I could do was slow it down." Halt explained briskly.

Lucas nodded and walked over to Will, kneeling down by his leg. He got out a knife and cut his leggings. When Will saw the knife, he flinched. Lucas gasped when he saw his leg. It was covered in deep cuts that were all showing signs of infection. Halt leaned over so he could see around Lucas and his heart dropped into his stomach. Lucas cursed and rummaged through his bag. He pulled out a syringe and a bottle of clear liquid.

"I'm going to give him a strong pain killer, and that should help some, but it won't completely numb the pain."

Will, who had seen the syringe, leaned as far away from Lucas as his bonds would allow. The healer inserted the needle into Will's arm and pushed the plunger down before he could protest and he glared at him. If looks could kill Lucas would be dead and gone. He hissed as Lucas poked and prodded at his injured leg. Will's leg started to feel numb and he relaxed slightly. This was what Lucas was waiting for.

"Alright, the pain killer has kicked in, but we're gonna have to move him before I can start working on him."

Halt nodded and walked over to Will, drawing his saxe as he went. He walked around behind him and as he moved to cut the bonds, he saw Will tense up. He ignored it for now and cut the bonds on his feet. Will stood up and Halt grabbed his arm, steering him towards his room. He didn't fight, as he was too tired and worn out. Plus he had learned by now that if he didn't cooperate, they would probably just overpower him and force him the rest of the way.

"Lay down," Halt commanded.

Will complied, laying down on the soft bed. He almost fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but he refused to give in. He fought to keep his eyes open as he listened to Lucas dig through his bag of supplies.

The sound stopped as Lucas found what he needed- the container of disinfectant. He poured some into a cloth and glanced at Halt, silently asking if he was ready. Halt sat down beside Will, and nodded. Gilan stood in front of the door, cutting off Will's only escape if he tried anything.

Lucas rubbed the cloth over the wounds on Will's leg, wiping up all the dry blood as he went. Will flinched violently and gasped, but made no further movement. His eyes blurred with tears as his leg felt like it was on fire.

He gritted his teeth, determined not to scream. Lucas quickly finished disinfecting the wounds and searched his bag for a needle and thread. He found them after a few moments and started working on threading the needle.

Will leaned forward, trying to see what Lucas was up to. Halt pushed him back down onto the bed, grabbing his chin and turning his head away from what Lucas was doing. Lucas finished threading the needle and began stitching up the largest of his wounds. He couldn't hold back a scream as the needle pierced his skin.

He thrashed as the needle went through his skin again. Halt grabbed his shoulders and pinned him to the bed, trying to keep him still. Lucas was having a hard time with his legs, as he couldn't stitch and hold his legs still at the same time. Halt noticed this and called Gilan over to help.

"Gilan! Come hold his legs!"

Gilan rushed to the bed and kneeled down beside Lucas. He pinned Will's legs to the bed and nodded to Lucas, signaling that he was ready. Lucas continued stitching as quickly as possible. Will struggled harder, making it extremely difficult to keep him still.

"Shhh, Will it's okay." Halt said in a soothing voice.

He was trying to calm him down some so this would be easier. He made several futile attempts, but Will completely ignored him and continued fighting. Eventually, Lucas finished stitching the first one and moved on to the next. Tears slid down his face as he tried to escape the pain.

He was so tired and he just wanted to go to sleep. His eyelids drooped and this time he didn't have the strength to open them again. As he began to drift off his tense muscles relaxed and he stopped thrashing, his breath falling into a deep and steady rhythm.

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 **A/N: SEE! I told you guys it would be really angsty. *evil laugh***


	3. Chapter 2

Halt sat on the couch, a streaming mug of coffee cupped in his hands. He had emptied his room of all his weapons and sharp objects and locked Will in there. He was still sleeping. There were no windows in his room, so the only way out was the locked door. Gilan was sleeping in Will's old room and Halt finally had some time to think about what he was going to do. Earlier, he has sent a brief letter to Crowley explaining their situation and requesting his presence, so he should be here in a few days. Halt was really worried about Will. He never acted like this and he certainly never attacked Halt. He knew it had to be linked to his kidnapping, but what had they done to him? Halt couldn't think of anything his captors could do that would make Will behave like this.

He sighed and took an appreciative sip of his coffee. He had explained what happened to Lucas and he couldn't come up with anything either. This was the one of the rare times when Halt didn't know what to do. He'd always had a plan and always knew what to do, but now he didn't. Now, when Will needed him the most, he didn't know what to do. _Maybe Crowley will be able to think of something when he gets here._

Then his thoughts were interrupted by a scream.

* * *

 _His hands and feet were tied to a pole. He struggled against the bonds,_ _but it was no use. They wouldn't budge. He sat alone in a dimly lit room. It was a plain room with white walls and a tile floor. It reminded him of the infirmary, with the boring white walls and cold floor. He waited for a while, wondering what was going to happen to him. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have to wait long to find out. He heard voices outside, he tried to make out what they were saying, but they were muffled by the thick wooden door. A few moments later, a man walked in. The man looked like he was in his early 20s. He had white hair that went down into his light grey eyes and a pale, clean shaven face. He was about as tall as Gilan with a slight build. He stood and started at Will with a curious look on his face. Will kept his face neutral and remained silent._

 _"What's your name?" He asked politely. He had a Gallican accent, which made Will wonder where he was. He thought for a moment about if he should tell him his name, and then decided it couldn't do any harm._

 _"Will."_

 _"Okay, Will. Here's how this is gonna work, you have information on the Rangers. I need that information, and you're going to provide it. Understand?" He said in a sickly sweet voice that made Will want to gag. He didn't respond and the man advanced. He walked across the room and stopped when he came face to face with Will._

 _"What is the location of the Gathering?" He asked. Will defiantly spat in his face. The man stood up straight and wiped the spit from his face. He walked over to a table and picked up a whip, he strode back over to Will and played with it in his hands._

 _"This is the last time I will ask you nicely, Ranger. Where is the Gathering?" He growled._

 _"Go to hell."_

 _In one fluid movement, the man cracked the whip and it hit him in the face, running along his jaw. He felt warm blood run down his throat and tears blurred his vision. Will stayed silent as the man slowly walked around behind him, giving him time to answer. He didn't say a word. Crack. Crack. Crack. He cried out in pain as the whip opened long cuts on his back that started bleeding. A tear rolled down his cheek as the whip hit him again and again, but still, he never said a word._

 _After what seemed like an eternity, the man paused for a moment, studying his work. He kneeled down behind Will and ran a hand across his back. Will screamed and tugged at his restraints, desperately trying to get free. He was starting to see black at the edges of his vision._

 _"Sensitive, are we?" The man chuckled in amusement. He walked back into Will's field of vision again and stood in front of him. The room swayed sickeningly as he sagged against the ropes that held him there._

 _The man smiled and walked to the door. Then everything went black._

* * *

Halt ran to his room and unlocked the door. He rushed into his room and saw Will. He was covered in sweat, thrashing on the bed. He forgot to shut the door behind him. Halt ran over to him and pinned him to the bed, he didn't want him to reopen his stitches.

"Will! Wake up!"

Will struggled harder now that someone was trying to hold him down. After a few minutes of struggling, he sat bolt upright and yelped, yanking his hand away from Halt and he scrambled away from him like a kicked puppy. He was breathing heavily and shaking all over. He bolted for the open door, wanting to be alone. He almost made it out the door when someone grabbed him from behind. He drew a breath to scream when a hand covered his mouth. The person started dragging him back towards the bed and he fought against them.

"Shhh, Will it's okay. It's me, Halt." He said, trying to get him to stay still.

After a few moments, Will stopped struggling and turned, trying to see Halt's face. Halt loosened his grip on Will's arms slightly and moved to the bed, setting him down on it. He listened to Will's ragged breathing as he waited for him to calm down some. They sat in silence for a long while, until his breathing went back to normal and the shaking stopped.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Halt asked quietly. Will immediately shook his head and Halt sighed. He knew that if Will didn't want to talk about something, you'd never find out until he felt like telling you. He looked him in the eyes and saw something he didn't expect to see. Guilt. Why would Will feel guilty? Halt wondered. The guilt left Will's eyes as he tried to cover it up. He didn't want Halt to start asking questions. They sat in silence for a while and Halt got up and walked over to Will's leg. Will looked at him, a question in his eyes.

"I'm going to make sure you didn't reopen any of those wounds on your leg." He explained. Will nodded and sat back against his pillow while Halt unwrapped the bandages. He set the bandages aside and turned Will's leg this way and that, searching for any reopened wounds. Luckily, there were none and he put the bandages back on. Halt sat back down and decided to try one more time.

"It would make you feel better if you talked about it." He said. Once again, Will shook his head. Halt stood up and walked to the door.

"Okay, get some rest." He said. Will nodded and layed down, pulling the covers up. Halt opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind him and locking it again. He went into the living room and wasn't surprised to see Gilan waiting for him.

"Is he okay?"

"Yes, he had a nightmare."

"What was it about?"

"He wouldn't tell me." Halt said. He sat down on the couch beside Gilan and wondered what Will's dream was about. He moved around trying to get comfortable, but he found that he couldn't.

"What's bothering you?" Gilan asked. Halt looked at him for a moment before deciding he should tell him.

"Will is hiding something." He whispered. Gilan looked at him with a surprised look on his face.

"What is it?"

"That's what's bothering me. I don't know what he's hiding, but I don't think it's anything good."

 **A/N: I feel so evil right now. I totally gave Will nightmares and I have an evil plan for Will. *Does evil laugh and disappears***


	4. Chapter 3

**Yay! This is the longest chapter I have written so far! Aren't you guys so happy now? Because instead of a short and crappy chapter, you get a long and crappy chapter! Woohoo! :D**

Will lay on his bed, thinking about what he was going to do. He hadn't gotten any more sleep last night after his nightmare and was exhausted. He got up and walked to the door, turning the handle. It was locked. He cursed silently and looked around the room for anything he could use to pick the lock. When he was unable to find anything, he sighed and sat on the bed. He studied the room, remembering how familiar it looked.

He needed to get out of here, but there were no windows for him to climb out of and the door was locked. That was just great. His hand brushed over the brand mark on his upper right arm and brought his thoughts back to the issue of his captors. The only reason Halt hadn't seen the brand mark yet was because his cloak covered it and he made sure it stayed out of sight. It was a skull and crossbones that was on fire. He hated it. Every time he saw it, it reminded him of the problem to which he had no solution...

 _Flashback_

 _They had been giving him poison for about a week now and he felt like dying. It was another form of torture they used. They would give him the poison and let it run through his system until he was almost dead, then they would give him the antidote. The poison felt like fire as it ran through his veins. He thrashed on the ground, curling in on himself trying to make the pain stop. The man that tortured him was called Tyler. He was the most sick person Will had ever met. He was insane and enjoyed torturing people. He stood, leaning against the wall watching Will as he screamed and cried. He chuckled and kneeled down next to him, whispering in his ear "Will you tell me where the Gathering is now?"_

 _"N-no," Will choked out. He was shaking badly and covered in sweat. Tyler studied him for a moment and seemed to come to a decision. He smiled broadly as he thought of his wonderful idea. Will groaned and looked away from him, knowing when Tyler smiled or was happy, he was about to be the opposite. He pulled out the syringe with the antidote in it and stuck it in his arm, pushing the plunger down. After a few minutes it kicked in and Will layed on the floor panting._

 _"Okay. I'll make you a deal," He didn't like where this was going... "I will let you go home, but you can't tell anyone what I did to you. And you have a job to do for me." Tyler said happily._

 _Will thought about this and nervously asked, "What job...?"_

 _Tyler grinned and said, "I'm glad you asked. Your job is to assassinate someone for me. Your target is Halt O'Carrick."_

 _Will looked at him like he was crazy- well he was. "I can't. N-no, I won't!" He yelled angrily._

 _"Yes you will, because I told you to." Tyler said calmly._

 _"And what if I don't?"_

 _"I will give you 2 weeks. If you tell anyone about any of this, I will kill Halt myself. I will know if you tell anyone. If he isn't dead in 2 weeks time, I will hunt you down and give you more poison and this time I won't give you the antidote."_

 _Tyler smiled and left him alone to think about what he was going to do._

Will stood up and started pacing. (well more like limping) He had to think of a way to get out of this. Tyler could poison him all he wanted, he _wasn't_ going to kill Halt. The only reason he attacked Halt in the first place was because before Tyler let him go, he drugged him and when he saw Halt he kind of... morphed into Tyler. Will thought he was attacking Tyler when he was really attacking Halt. He couldn't believe he had been blackmailed. Why was it always him that was put in bad situations? He felt someone watching him and knew Tyler was out there somewhere, watching him, just waiting for him to tell someone or try to run.

It was early and Halt and Gilan would be waking up soon. He knew they would question him later, but he would avoid it for as long as possible. He wanted to tell them so badly, but he couldn't. He had to keep Halt safe. That was the problem though. He wanted to keep Halt safe, but he knew that after Tyler killed him with the poison, he would undoubtedly go after Halt when he was dead. No matter what he did, there was a chance that Halt or someone else he loved would get hurt and it scared him. They were the only family he had left and if they were gone, he wouldn't know what to do.

Crowley woke up as the sun rose over the horizon. He had been traveling for 2 days now and should be in Redmont by midday if he hurried. He sat up and groaned, he was getting to old for this. He ate a quick breakfast of dried beef and some bread and packed up camp. As he did his usual morning tasks, he pondered over the events of the past few days. He had received an urgent message from Halt and was very concerned.

 _Crowely, I found Will but something isn't right. I need you to come help me figure out what's wrong. Please be here as soon as you can and try to keep this quiet if possible._

 _-Halt_

The letter was very direct and to the point, but what scared Crowley was that they had found Will. They should be happy that they finally found him, but something was up. He finished packing up camp and mounted his horse. Cropper nickered happily and shook his mane. Crowley laughed and squeezed his sides slightly, putting them at the ranger forced march. It was going to be a long day in the saddle.

Halt sat up as he heard a slight click. He looked at the door handle of his room and saw it move, Will had woken up. He watched it for a minute, wondering if Will was gonna get out, but he didn't. The handle stopped moving and he heard footsteps coming from his room. He's probably looking for something to pick the lock with, Halt though idly. He got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, grabbing the bag of coffee as he went. Soon the heavenly smell of coffee filled the room and Halt set his coffee down on the table and got breakfast started. He cooked bacon and eggs and started dishing out plates. He set two on the table and brought a third towards his room.

He opened the door and walked into the room, quickly shutting it behind him. He looked at Will, who was still pacing and looked stressed.

"I brought you some food." Halt said, gesturing to the plate of bacon and eggs. Will nodded, still deep in thought. Halt set the plate down on the nightstand and left the room, giving Will some space. Walking back into the kitchen, he noticed that Gilan was already up and eating breakfast. He sat down beside him and ate his food.

"Before you ask, no I don't know what's wrong with Will, but Crowley should be here today to help out." Halt stated.

Gilan looked up at him, surprised he knew what he was going to ask before he even asked it. "Oh, okay. Does King Duncan know about this yet?" He asked.

"Yes, I sent him a letter a few days ago, informing him of the situation and asking him to keep this quiet for now. Pretty much the same thing I told Crowley."

Gilan nodded and finished his breakfast, bringing his plate to the sink. He walked to the door and went to do the daily chores.

Several hours later, Will sprawled out on the bed, wondering if Halt was ever going to let him out of his room. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. He was so bored it was driving him insane. There was nothing to do in this room. He still hasn't touched his food and knew Halt wouldn't be happy about that, but he was too stressed out to eat. He wanted to sleep, but after last night's unsuccessful attempt, he was too scared. He didn't like to remember all the things that they did to him in that terrible place. He shuddered just thinking about it and he didn't want to deal with a nightmare right now.

He listened intently, seems on how it was the only thing that was more interesting than staring at the ceiling. He heard the front door open and what sounded like two people walked in.

"It's good to see you Crowley." He heard Halt say, he sounded relieved.

"Nice to see you too, Halt. Got any coffee?"

"Of course I do, if I didn't I wouldn't be here." Halt said sarcastically.

"I'll put the water on to boil." Another voice said - Gilan. He listened as who he assumed was Gilan walked into the kitchen. Halt and Crowley headed towards the room he was in. He could hear them whispering, but couldn't make out what they were saying.

He heard a click as Halt unlocked the door and they both walked in. He continued to lay there and stare at the ceiling, ignoring them completely.

"Hey Will, how are you doing?" Crowley asked.

Will sat up and looked at them. Crowley barely held back a gasp when he saw Will's eyes. There was no life in them, they looked like the eyes of a dead man.

"Fine." Will said quietly. He looked down at the floor, it was a lot harder now not to say anything about Tyler. And what if Crowley got hurt? There was so much that could go wrong and he still hadn't decided what to do. How much time did he have left?

"Halt, how long have I been here?" He asked.

Halt thought about it for a moment and said, " Almost four days, why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Will said. He could see that Halt was getting suspicious.

Will counted how many days he had left in his mind. 10 days. That wasn't much time, but he had to take what he could get. He needed a plan, but couldn't think straight because he was so worried about Halt. Halt's voice tore him from his thoughts.

"Will, why didn't you eat your breakfast?" Halt asked, noticing the still full plate of bacon and eggs sitting on the nightstand.

Will's eyes darted from Halt to the plate of food and back.

"Didn't feel like eating."

"How can you not feel like eating? You haven't eaten in a while, I can tell." Crowley said incredulously.

Will sighed and looked at the two of them, wondering how he was going to explain to them that he was too stressed out to eat or even be hungry without them asking why he was stressed out. Gilan walked in with coffee and handed it out. The smell filled room and lifted his mood a bit.

"Why don't I get any coffee?!" Will huffed when Gilan didn't hand him any.

Gilan looked at him and then at Halt. Halt looked at Will and said, "Because you don't need any."

Will glared at him and said, "And why would that be?"

"You're still healing and therefore you don't need any coffee." Halt said.

"Well if I don't get any could you at least not tease me with it by drinking it in front of me and filling my room with the smell of it?" Will spat.

Halt raised an eyebrow at the tone he was using and said, "Nope."

Will groaned and laid back down on his bed continuing to stare at the ceiling. Halt drank his coffee until it was gone and left the room to get the medical supplies he needed to clean Will's leg. He quickly found it and came back into the room. Will was still laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He walked over to him and set the supplies down on the bed beside his leg. Will jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his hurt leg. He sat up and glanced over at Halt, who was getting supplies ready to clean his wounds. He laid back down and stayed silent as Halt started working on his wounds.

Crowley looked at Will's leg and gasped.

"What happened?" He asked, still staring at the multiple gaping wounds on his leg. Halt realized that he still hadn't asked Will what happened and wondered what did this. He studied the wounds closely and discovered that it looked like someone had used a blunt knife.

"I'm not sure. What happened, Will?" He asked. He put down what he was holding and looked at his face, trying to tell if he was going to lie or not. Will offered nothing for him to go on and continued to stare at the ceiling, trying to think of a reasonable excuse.

They sat there for several minutes in silence. Will could feel everyone's eyes on him and didn't like the attention.

"Ummm..."

"Aren't you going to tell us?" Gilan asked impatiently. Halt shot him a glare and he was quiet.

He turned back to Will and said, "Who did this?"

"I-I can't..." Will stuttered. He knew this would happen but there weren't any animals he could have told them did this. If he told them that Tyler did this, he would probably come and kill Halt or someone else and he couldn't let that happen. He looked back up at the ceiling and stayed silent.

"Why can't you tell us?" Halt asked. He knew they probably wouldn't get anything out of him, but it was worth a try. He was very stubborn and wouldn't say anything if he didn't want to, or in this case, if he couldn't. Will continued to ignore them and didn't say anything. Halt sighed and started on cleaning the wounds again. He might as well finish and head out, he had alot to discuss with Crowley. After a while, he was finished. He, Crowely, and Gilan left the room.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! So I have started school now and the updates will be less frequent now, sorry! But I will continue this story unless someone PMs me or reviews and begs me to stop writing this story... for whatever reason... I don't think anyone will do that though, so this story will keep going! :)**

* * *

Halt, Crowley, and Gilan sat in the living room, discussing what they were going to do with Will for now and who was sleeping where. Eventually they decided that Crowley could sleep in Will's old room, Gilan on the couch, and Halt on the extra matress on the floor.

They hadn't talked about what to do with Will and were trying to think about a solution. They couldn't just lock him in Halt's room forever. No one knew anything about what happened to him when he was captured, they all had guesses, but no one really _knew._

"So how did you find him anyways?" Crowley asked, he still hadn't been filled in on what happened.

"I didn't find him, he found me." Halt replied. "I was out hunting to stock up on provisions and he attacked me."

Crowley wasn't sure if he heard him right. "He attacked you?"

"Yes, but I didn't know it was him until I had him pinned. He was wearing a black cloak and the hood covered his face. I've been thinking about why he would do that and the best I can come up with is he was drugged." Halt got up and walked into the kitchen, grabbing the weapons that he had taken from Will and walked back into the living room. He set them down on the table so that Gilan and Crowley could see them.

"He had these when I searched him. I don't know why he had the poisons though."

"Someone must have given them to him... did he tell you anything about who took him yet?" Gilan asked.

"No, he changes the subject every time I try. He has nightmares every night and he won't tell me what they're about either."

"Have you had Gilan ask him? He's usually more open with him." Crowley thought aloud.

"Yes," Gilan chimed in, "but he's being very stubborn and won't say anything ever. Maybe he'll say something to you?" He asked, addressing Crowley.

"No, I don't think he will. I'm going to ask him again tomorrow."

"He's probably going insane locked in that room..." Gilan said.

"He is," Halt laughed, "it's kind of pitiful, most of the time he paces, but when he gets bored of that, he just lays on the bed staring at the ceiling and trying not to fall asleep."

"How long has it been since he last slept?" Crowley asked.

"He's only slept twice since he's been here, but both times he had nightmares and didn't get much sleep."

"I wish we knew what his nightmares are about. It definitely has to do with his disappearance 9 months ago, but it still makes me wonder what they did to him." Gilan sighed.

He wished they knew how to help his friend. He missed the happy, cheerful Will they used to know. He wanted him back.

* * *

Will put his ear to the door, trying to hear what they were talking about. He stayed there for a while, but eventually gave up. They were speaking in such low tones that he couldn't hear anything. _Damn it,_ he thought. As much as he wanted to stay here, he couldn't. He had to go find Tyler and kill him before he hurt someone. It was only a matter of time before he changed his mind and decided to speed things up a little. He had to make a plan. It would probably be best to leave at night, but they still hadn't let him out of Halt's room yet... and he had no way to open the door. How would he get out? There were three other fully trained Rangers in the house and that meant it wasn't going to be easy to get out. He had been a fully trained Ranger for 2 years now, but one against three still isn't good, especially considering the fact that he didn't have any weapons.

Will felt so alone. He couldn't tell anyone about Tyler or what happened when he was captured. Tears came to his eyes as he wondered how he was going to do this. There was no-one he could ask for help. He knew Tyler was out there somewhere, watching him. And if he managed to escape from here, then how would he kill Tyler? He hadn't eaten for almost a week and hasn't had much sleep in months. He was a mess.

He laid down on his bed and started up at the ceiling. It was late at night, but he could still hear them talking in the living room. His eyelids grew heavy as he wondered what they could possibly be talking about that would take so long. He was so tired... NO. He forced his eyes open again, he had to stay awake to keep the nightmares away. He stayed like this for a few moments, but his eyelids seemed to grow heavier with every second that passed. Finally, he closed his eyes. He didn't have the energy to stay awake anymore...

 _Will woke up and was immediately aware of the cold metal table below him. He tried to move and realized he was tied down. He was tied oddly though, instead of just tying down his wrists, someone tied him at the elbows and wrists so he couldn't move his arm much at all. He was tied at the ankles and waist, too. He struggled against his bonds, but whoever tied him up knew what they were doing (he assumed it was Tyler, but there were others who 'interrogated' him too, but Tyler was the one who did it most of the time.) B_ _lood ran down his wrists and he stopped struggling._

 _After a second or two, the room swam into focus. He looked around the room and was reminded of a dungeon. It was dimly lit and over in the corner he could see a fireplace with what looked like... a branding iron sticking out of it. He felt panic swell up in his chest and it grew when he heard footsteps coming from the hallway. They paused for a moment to open the door, then_ _Tyler strolled into the room and glanced over at him. He smiled broadly and walked over to Will, standing above him._

 _"I'm glad you're finally awake, now we can have some fun!" He said, still wearing that same damn smirk that made Will so angry._

 _"Unless, of course, you want to tell me where the Gathering is?" He continued, smirking down at him._

 _"I will never tell you anything about the Rangers." Will spat._

 _"Fun it is, then!" He said happily._

 _He ruffled Will's hair before gliding over to a bucket, filling it with water. He set it down by the table Will was on. He then walked over to the fireplace and put on a pair of thick gloves, then grabbed the branding iron and pulled it from the fire._

 _Will felt really nauseous and started yanking desperately at his bonds._

 _"Hmmm... I think it's hot enough now. What do you think, Will?" Tyler asked, chuckling when he saw him thrashing. He walked over to the table and positioned the branding iron over his upper right arm. He struggled harder and felt tears in his eyes as he felt the heat radiating of the red hot iron._

 _Tyler sighed and moved it away again. Will just barely kept himself from sighing in relief. "We can't have you moving or you'll mess it up."_

 _He then yelled something in Gallican over his shoulder and a few seconds later, another man walked in. Will knew him. Around here, he was known as 'The Doctor'. He was the one who did experiments on Will and supplied Tyler with poisons to give him (I will explain this later, don't worry). He had blue eyes and brown hair, and was obviously a man who enjoyed eating. He slowly walked over to the table and asked Tyler something (in Gallican). Tyler barked an answer back at him and he scurried over to Will and pinned his shoulders down._

 _Tyler repositioned the iron over his arm, and once again, he could feel that horrible heat. "NO! TYLER, DON'T!" Will screeched, the iron getting closer to his arm every second._

 _The Doctor just laughed at him and put more pressure on his shoulders to make sure he didn't move. Tyler pressed the hot metal against his arm and he screamed. The smell was definitely one of the most horrible things he ever smelled. It smelled like burning skin. T_ _ears flowed from his eyes and his throat already felt raw. There was black spots at the edges of his vision. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only seconds, the iron was taken away and there was a nasty sizzling sound as Tyler put it in the bucket of water._

 _He felt the pressure being lifted from his shoulders as The Doctor let go of him. His arm burned and stung as if the iron was still there, but he knew it wasn't. He continued to cry as he listened told them speaking in Gallican and heard footsteps coming closer and closer to him. He felt a hand on his arm and whimpered, not having the energy to scream anymore._

 _"Yes, it looks good." He heard The Doctor say, sounding pleased. Tyler nodded and The Doctor left the room. He strolled over to Will and started untying the restraints. He heard Tyler laugh, just before the darkness took over._

* * *

They had finally finished making arrangements for everything and were getting ready for bed. Gilan had already moved the extra mattress into the living room and was getting blankets. Crowley was in Will's old room, and Halt was finishing his beloved cup of coffee before going to bed. He was surprised they hadn't heard anything from Will in a while, he usually was not this quiet.

 _Maybe he's finally getting some rest,_ Halt thought hopefully.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

"NO! TYLER, DON'T!"

The scream erupted from his room and echoed through the house. He leapt from his chair and ran to the door, Crowley and Gilan hot on his heels. He unlocked the door and burst into the room. Will's legs were tangled in the bed covers and he was kicking and thrashing trying to get loose, which only got him more tangled up. He was holding his right arm as if he had hurt it, and Halt could see the growing red on his arm. He was drenched in sweat and shaking all over. Halt walked over to the bed and grabbed Will's wrists, stopping him from moving. Will whimpered and thrashed harder.

"Shhh, it's okay Will. It's just a dream." Halt said.

Gilan and Crowley rushed over to help, Gilan holding his legs still while Crowely untangled them. After a few minutes, they had him untangled and could tell he had torn some of his stitches because there was blood on the sheets. Will woke up with a gasp and when he felt hands grabbing him, he immediately fought harder. His eyes were glazed over and he seemed out of it.

"Will! Look! It's us!" Gilan said frantically, still having trouble keeping him from tearing more of his stitches.

Will refused to give up and kept fighting. More blood splattered onto the sheets as he tore his stitches even worse. Tears streamed down his face and he yelled, "Let me go!"

"Crowley, go get me a sedative! Hurry!" Halt shouted.

Crowley rushed out of the room, hoping Will wouldn't get loose while he was gone. Sadly for Gilan, that's exactly what he did.

He wrenched his arm free from Halt's grip and punched Gilan in the nose, causing him to immediately recoil, letting go of his legs. With Gilan... busy, Halt wouldn't be able to keep him down by just holding his wrists, so he jumped on top of Will, straddling his waist. Will yelped slightly in surprise and would've leapt from the bed, had Halt not been on top of him.

At that same moment, Crowley returned with the sedative and, seeing Gilan in the corner cradling a bloody nose, gave it to Halt and went to help him stop the bleeding. Halt grabbed Will's wrists and pinned them above his head with one hand, with the other he took the sedative from Crowley. He and Gilan left the room, probably going to clean up all the blood.

They all knew Will hated needles and avoided them whenever possible, so when he saw the needle he freaked out.

"Nooo! Please don't poison me again! Please don't!" He begged, crying harder.

Halt was confused. Why would he think they would poison him? Will knew none of them would ever hurt him unless they absolutely had to.

"I'm not going to poison you, Will. I would never do that, I promise." He said calmly.

Will paused in his struggles for a moment, to glare at him. Then he got angry.

"Y-you're a liar!" He yelled angrily, still trying to get away from Halt.

"Shhh, no I'm not." He said, pulling up Will's sleeve on his left arm, revealing dozens of scars that went all the way up and down the length of his arm. With a huge amount of effort, Halt ignored them for now. He could look at them later, when Will was asleep.

Will mentally sighed in relief that he hadn't touched his right arm- which still wasn't healed yet and hurt really bad when anyone touched it. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. He winced and looked up to see Halt slowly pushing the plunger down on the syringe.

"YOU ARE A LIAR! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD NEVER POISON ME!" He cried, struggling harder than ever.

Halt finished quickly and put the empty syringe on the bedside table.

"I did not poison you, Will. It won't hurt you, it's just gonna make you go to sleep for a while." He explained, hoping Will would believe him.

"B-but I can't!" He said desperately, his struggles becoming weaker and weaker.

He couldn't lose any more time than he already had, he needed to leave, and fast. His eyes became heavy and his tense muscles relaxed against his will, but he, being the stubborn person he was, refused to close his eyes and give in.

Halt felt Will relax and wondered why it felt weird, and then he realized why. Every time he had seen Will since they got him back, he was always very tense. He hadn't relaxed at all the whole time he's been here. He figured it must have something to do with nerves... He looked down at Will, surprised to see that he was still awake. Then he saw him stubbornly fighting to keep his eyes open, tears still rolling down his cheeks.

"Go to sleep." He commanded.

Will struggled for a few more seconds, then gave up. He could find Tyler later...

* * *

 **A/N: SEE! I'm getting better at making my chapters longer! Yay! I will probably do a prequel to this story after I finish it to explain how Will got captured and what everyone was doing while he was gone! Do you guys want me to do that? Review and let me know! I LOVE REVIEWS! THEY MAKE ME REEAALLLLYY HAPPY. SO REVIEW. RIGHT. NOW.**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yay! I got more reviews! That makes me so happy! A few of you guys had questions and I'm gonna answer them! Here you go...**

 **Knux27: Will can't tell anyone because before Tyler let him go, he made a deal with him. The deal was that if Tyler let him go, he had 2 weeks to kill Halt and if he didn't, Tyler was going to give him more poison and he wouldn't give him the antidote. If Will tells anyone, Tyler is going to kill Halt himself (and probably a few other people Will loves, just to be a butt) I wasn't going to tell you guys this until later, but hey, you asked (kind of) - The reason why the story is called The Assassin is not because Will is an assassin. It is because that's what Tyler is. Tyler is a highly trained assassin.**

 **bubblystream: I call my chapters bad because it makes me want to try harder and not be so lazy! Lol :)**

 **Katy Fairfax: Will is calling Halt a liar because he is kind of out of it at the moment. He ummm... it's hard to explain, but I think I said something about him having hallucinations? No? Maybe I didn't... but I DID tell you guys that they gave Will poison that hurt really bad and blah blah blah, but when he woke up from the nightmare he was already pretty freaked out and when he saw the shot, it triggered hallucinations and Will thought Halt was going to poison him. Then, right after Halt told him he wouldn't, he gave him the shot and Will got the wrong idea and got mad and called him a liar.**

 **RangerLyra: Thankyou for the reviews and encouragement! I don't watch Arrow, but it sounds like a pretty cool show/movie (i don't know what it is...) if people are saying "Go to hell" on there! Lol, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask and I will answer them the best I can! :)**

 **Chanelx: Thanks for the support! I love your story, too! If you don't update I'm gonna die... You left me on a GINORMOUS cliffhanger...**

 **Alyss Mainwaring: Thanks a million for the reviews! I have been trying to work on my spelling... I can't spell anything! But, like you said, I am getting somewhat better. I guess that means school is good for one thing... but I still need to find more reasons why school is good to make me want to go! I really don't like school...**

 **Guest: I will keep writing more of this story if I ever get more time, but with my luck of course, you never know what could happen... But I will try to update more often, I know I'm lazy! Lol**

 **moniquebowman: I really like your story The Thief of Caraway! I really need to finish it though, I've been lazy here lately! :)**

 **You got an F: I'm not sure what you meant by HORRID, but thanks for reviewing! I like your name, it reflects my personality.**

 **Fangirl: Thankyou for reviewing! I love all the reviews I get from everyone! I'm still working on it, I need to start on the 6th chapter (oops...) but I'll try to update as quick as possible! Thanks for your support! :D**

 **Herman the Worm: Thankyou for your support and for reviewing! I like your name, it weird and I like weird things... because I'm weird...**

 **Lyratheranger: Thankyou, it took me FOREVER to think of a way to start this story! I think that was the hardest part of writing this story. Or any other story, now that I think about it. :)**

 **Empress of Nihonja: I'm gonna update soon! Please don't kill me...**

 **MyLittleRobin: Lol, thanks! I think if I cranked up the Will angst any more, Will would shoot me...**

 **Alexandraashley: Thanks, it was the angstiest one yet... but there shall be MORE ANGST! :D**

 **A/N: OMG! I had soo many reviews and it took me FOREVER to type this up! I will only do this every now and then, (because I'm a lazy a**)** **the next time I do this is probably going to be when/if I get 40 reviews... NOW FOR MORE ANGST!**

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Halt sighed as he listened to Will's breathing even out. He couldn't believe he had torn his stitches. They would get infected if he kept tearing them and infection was very hard to get rid of. They needed to keep him from tearing them again... It was normal for Will to cause alot of trouble, but he had never hit Gilan or any of the rest of them, for that matter. He was really worried about Will. He had never seen him so distressed and withdrawn. They would have to find out more about this Tyler person... He heard footsteps coming towards the room and a moment later Crowley and Gilan came in.

"Are you okay, Gilan?" He asked, looking at the red stains that covered the front of his cloak.

"I am now," he replied, "but he hits really hard." He glanced at Will's hand and saw that his knuckles were bleeding.

"Did you expect him to hit you gently?" Halt asked with a smirk.

"...No..."

"C'mon let's take him to the living room, it'll be easier to stitch him up out there."

He picked up Will's limp body and walked out to the living room. Crowley and Gilan followed him out and watched as he set Will down on the couch and went to get the medical supplies. Gilan moved forward to take a look at his leg. He had torn two of his wounds open, so it wasn't that bad. Halt came back with a bowl of warm water, disinfectant, bandages, a needle and thread, and a cloth.

While Halt was working on Will's leg, Gilan went to look at his arm. He pulled up his sleeve, once again revealing dozens of scars, some newer than others. There were scars that encircled his wrist and he guessed they came from being tied up for long periods of time and trying to get out of his bonds.

"Halt..." He said, getting the older man's attention.

Halt paused in what he was doing and looked at Will's arm. Crowley also moved forward to get a look. The scars were placed randomly, sometimes intersecting at points. There were so many...

"He didn't have any of these before he was taken?" Crowley asked, though already knowing the answer.

Halt shook his head and pulled Will's sleeve up further, revealing the brand mark on his upper arm. They all gasped in shock, not expecting to see such a thing. It was a skull and crossbones that was on fire.

"Wha- wh-where did _that_ come from?" Gilan asked, still staring at the mark.

"It looks like it's only about three weeks old," Crowley said. Blood oozed from it and ran down Will's arm. Halt grabbed a cloth and cleaned up the blood, looking closer at the brand mark.

"It's a personal crest," he observed, "but I'm not sure who's it is. You got any idea?"

"No."

"I've never seen it before."

Gilan suddenly got an idea and went to go get a piece of paper and some ink. He hurried back and began to draw a rough sketch of what it looked like. Crowley and Halt watched him for a few moments before continuing to look at Will's wounds. Halt soon finished re-stitching his leg and a thought occurred to him. He moved to Will's side again and looked at his left arm- it was also marred with scars. There were scars around that wrist too. Crowley sat back down and watched. He knew Halt would tell him what he found after he was done. Halt leaned forward and grabbed his chin, tilting his head up. There were multiple scars around his neck and a few on his face. The largest one was about three inches long and ran across his jaw. He looked closely at where they were placed and noticed that whoever did this had avoided life threatening areas. He sat back and sighed.

"Well Gilan, you wanted to know what they did to him- there's your answer."

Gilan glanced up from his sketch and looked at Will's exposed arms and the scars that covered them. He looked at his face and saw the large scar along his jaw and the smaller ones near it.

"Woah... that's a lot of scars."

"There's probably more on his chest, abdomen, and back. The wounds on his leg are the newest from what I've seen."

His curiosity aroused, Gilan scooted forward and pushed Will's cloak up, so he could see his chest. As predicted, it was also covered in scars- only much larger ones. There were two long thick scars that went all the way from his collarbone to his abdomen. There were hundreds of other scars too, both large and small, thick and thin. They could make out every single one of his ribs because he hadn't eaten and was way skinnier than before.

"Who could've done all that?" Gilan sighed unhappily.

He had never seen so much damage inflicted on one person.

"I don't know, but whoever did this is going to pay." Halt said furiously.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay I updated! Now you must do your job- REVIEW. RIGHT. NOW.**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I GOT SO MANY REVIEWS! OMG *Falls on the floor* ... I think I just tripped over the cat...**

* * *

It was around 2:00 in the morning when they finished fixing Will up. It had been a long night. Halt told Gilan to put the medical supplies away while he put Will back to bed. Gilan nodded and silently began to clean up the supplies. He gently picked Will up and brought him back to his room and laid him down on the bed. He pulled the covers up and made sure he was laying in a way that wouldn't hurt any of his wounds. He glided to the door, shut it, and locked it.

In the morning...

Slowly the fog of sleep drifted away and Will came closer and closer to consciousness. He groaned as he felt a dull throb pulsing through his leg. He wished his leg would just heal already so he could figure everything out! This was so frustrating! Wait... something felt different in the room... He opened his eyes and sat up, immediately noticing that the door was open. Hey... He could just walk right out! He felt a wave of excitement wash over him.

He carefully pushed the covers off and started to move towards the door, listening intently. He didn't hear anything out in the living room. His leg sent waves of pain through him as he walked, but he went slow and was careful not to tear his stitches (again). It was dark in the hallway and he stayed near the walls, trying to blend in more (A/N- haha, Will's gonna be the wall). He had just barely gotten into the living room when he heard something clatter behind him. He flinched violently and immediately turned around to see what was behind him.

"Good morning Will." Halt said.

Halt, Gilan, and Crowley were sitting at the table, each with a mug of coffee and a plate full of breakfast. He silently berated himself for thinking he could just 'walk right out'. That was a stupid thing to do. His eyes darted to the door, to them, and back to the door. Maybe he could make it to the door...

"Don't even think about it and come sit down."

"Why should I?"

Halt glared at him and pulled out a chair.

"Just sit down."

He glanced around the room, only just noticing the smell of bacon and eggs (and of course, coffee). Sighing, he slowly walked over to the table and sat down. Gilan slid a plate of food over to him and his mouth watered. He hadn't eaten for like a week... He reached for it then hesitated...

 **FLASHBACK TIME...!**

 _He'd been stuck here for a week without anything happening. They had captured him and literally dumped him in this cell. No one ever showed up except for the people who brought him food. He never ate the food though, he could tell it was poisoned. But he was getting so hungry! No, he told himself. You shouldn't eat that. It'll hurt you. But no matter what he did, the hunger ate at him until his insides actually hurt. One part of his mind said, "Don't do it." And the other said, "It can't be that bad. You should eat it."_

 _He had held out for a full week, but then he just couldn't stand it anymore! He stopped pacing and walked over to the food that had been sitting there since this morning. He sat down and started eating. He ate a small bite and waited a minute. Nothing really happened and he couldn't wait any longer, so he ate the rest of the food. Within minutes he had finished the whole plate. He sat back against the wall and sighed contentedly. It felt so good to be full._

 _After about five minutes the poison began to take effect. It was the worst thing he had ever experienced. His stomach hurt so bad and there was nothing he could do. He fell on his side, clutching his ribs. The fire that had started in his stomach spread throughout the rest of his body and the farther it spread the louder his screams became. He could hear them echoing off the walls. He never should have eaten that food. No matter how hungry he had been, nothing could compare to this._ _Vaguely, he heard the door open and close. The footsteps came closer and stopped right in front of him. He could only see the person's feet._

 _"What do you want?" He groaned, barely able to form words without causing more pain to come._

 _"To break you."_

 **END FLASHBACK!**

He shivered, pushing the memory from his mind. His appetite was long gone.

"...Will?" Crowley asked.

He jumped, forgetting they were there.

"Huh? What?"

"Are you okay?"

"...Of course I am. Why do you ask?"

"You just won the prize for asking the dumbest question I've ever heard anybody ask." Gilan said, shooting him a glare.

" _What?_ Seriously, what are you guys talking about?" He asked, resisting the urge leave the room.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell us?"

"Nope."

"Ugh, why?"

"Cause I don't feel like it."

This was going too far. He didn't like where this conversation was heading...

Halt glanced at his plate. It was untouched.

"Will you please eat something? You're going to starve to death!"

He shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Where you even hungry in the first place?"

"I was, but you scared it away with that glare of yours." Will said, with a completely straight face.

Gilan started laughing and Halt glared at him, so he tried to cover it up with a cough.

"I'm serious, Will. You're not leaving this table until you eat at least half of that."

"Says who?"

"I do. Besides, we have a few things to talk about."

"Such as?"

"You. Who took you?"

Will remained completely silent. _If this goes any further, I'm leaving._ He thought.

"Please talk to us, Will. We just want to help." Gilan pleaded.

He really wished Will would let them help him. He knew they probably couldn't fix everything, but they could still help with a few things. He still stayed silent, ironically, just as he was trained to do. He slowly started eating his breakfast, trying to tune them out.

"So, who's this Tyler person I've been hearing about?" Halt asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew.

Will, who was in mid bite when he said that, choked on his food.

"...What did you say?" Will asked when he had stopped choking.

"Who is Tyler?"

Will shuddered as images of Tyler flooded his mind.

"What's wrong, Will?" Crowley asked, seeing him shudder and get really pale.

It was almost like he froze...

"Will...?" Gilan asked, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

When Gilan touched his shoulder he flinched, jumped out of the chair, and ran to Halt's room, locking the door behind him.

"Will! Come back here!" Halt said, following him to his room. Gilan and Crowley came too.

He knocked on the door and said, "Will? Please open the door! Will come on, open the door."

They waited a moment, but everything was completely quiet.

"Will, if you don't open this door I'm gonna open it for you!" Gilan threatened, already reaching for his lock pick.

He sighed and picked the lock, opening the door. Will was sitting in the corner, his head in his hands.

"Will?" Halt asked, slowly approaching him.

"Leave me alone." He whispered.

They sat down beside him, but he didn't move an inch.

"Will. We can help you, but only if you tell us who did this. Please tell us." Halt said.

Will shook his head and said, "I c-can't."

"No. You can but you won't."

Will raised his head and glared at him. He abruptly stood up and started pacing. He stopped and looked at them.

"It's not like you would understand." He said coldly.

They looked at each other, not knowing the true meaning behind his words. They would need to understand soon, though, for Will's sake.

* * *

 **A/N: Ugh! I know I suck at endings... but at least I updated! But I still feel bad for the cat...**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: MUHAHAHAHAHA! This is where the real fun starts... or maybe it's not... You don't know if it is, but I do! Lol ;)**

* * *

That was it. He needed to leave. Now. He had already wasted a whole week which meant he only had one week left! They had locked him back in his room though... which was a problem. It was late in the afternoon, he was guessing around 7:00. It was dark outside, and it was raining. That would give him perfect cover of he could ever get out of this room! Maybe they would let him out for dinner... He could smell food cooking in the kitchen, so dinner would be soon. He decided that was when he would leave.

Gilan sighed as he stirred their dinner. He felt so bad for Will. He wondered who Tyler was though... He put the spoon down and went to the living room, where Halt and Crowley were talking.

He sat down with them and said, "Who is Tyler?"

Halt and Crowley looked at him and saw how sad he was. They really needed to figure this out.

"I'm not sure, Gil. But we'll find out soon enough."

Gilan studied him closely for a minute then quietly said, "Don't lie to me, Halt. You know who he is, or at least have a theory. I know you do."

"Fine. I'm fairly sure he's the one who took Will." Halt sighed.

"How do you know?"

"I don't. But he talks about him when he has nightmares, so he's obviously someone Will's scared of."

"What does he say?"

"Mostly he tells him not to do things. I think Tyler is the one who tortured him."

They all went quiet. They were all upset that their friend had been tortured.

"Are we gonna let him out for dinner?" Crowley asked.

"He probably won't eat, but yeah."

"I'll go get him." Gilan said, getting up and going to Halt's room.

They sighed and went to go finish making dinner.

They were almost done when they heard a loud bang. They put their stuff down and went to Halt's room. Will suddenly jumped out of the room and ran past them, to the front door. As he ran by they saw Gilan's saxe knife in his hand.

"Will, no!" Halt yelled, grabbing his strikers and following him out the door.

Gilan and Crowley did the same. Once he was out the door, Will moved very quickly. He sprinted towards the forest, that was his best chance at getting away from them. He stepped lightly, although he knew the rain would wash away his tracks there was no harm in being careful.

He heard the horses whinnying in distress and his heart stopped. He looked over at the stalls and could just barely see the top of Tug's mane. Every single cell in his body told him to go see Tug and he wanted to more than anything in the world. But he couldn't. Not until he got everything straightened out. He forced himself to keep running and not look back.

"Will! Come back here!" They yelled.

He tried to ignore them, but it still hurt to just leave them like this. But he had to. Halt, who was the closest to Will, pulled out his strikers and quickly put them together. He threw them at him, hoping to stop him before he got to the forest. He knew it would be nearly impossible to find Will once he reached the forest. Will's injured leg burned, but he kept going. Then he heard a familiar sound behind him. He knew what that was. He dropped to the ground and felt the strikers fly over his head and off into the woods. The second they went over him, he was up and running again.

He finally reached the woods, but kept going, knowing that he would need to find a good hiding place. He could hear Halt's footsteps behind him as he tried to catch up. Gilan and Crowley weren't far behind either. This was bad. He couldn't run for long because of his leg, which was now bleeding profusely. He had torn his stitches again... He felt a shiver run down his spine when he realized how cold it was. He was completely soaked because of the rain.

"Where should I hide?!" He thought frantically, making random turns in different places.

He didn't really care where he ended up as long as he got away from them. His breath came in ragged gasps and his leg hurt worse with each step be took. In a split second, he made a decision. Without warning he jumped up into the nearest tree and started climbing as fast as he could. He felt blood drip down his arm as he cut his hands on the rough bark of the tree. He climbed a few branches higher and stopped, trying to slow his breathing so he wouldn't be heard.

"WILL! Please come back!"

He heard them walking around below the tree he was in and froze, knowing that if he moved he would be seen. He stood completely still, not daring to move.

"Do you see him anywhere?" Crowley asked, his eyes scanning the trees.

Suddenly a small twig fell from the tree they were near and they all looked up. They couldn't see anything in the tree, then a bird tweeted and hopped around on the branch, causing more twigs to fall.

"Aw man! It was just a bird." Gilan sighed in disappointment.

They stayed there for several minutes, listening and watching for signs of movement. The forest was completely quiet other than the birds tweeting and flying around looking for food. The rain made the ground really muddy and they were all soaked by now, too.

"C'mon, let's go." Halt said, continuing in the direction Will had been going before he jumped in the tree.

Will waited and stayed quiet until he was positive that they were gone. Sighing, he sat down on the tree branch and looked at his leg. It wasn't bleeding too bad now, but it still hurt a lot. His arm burned dully but it wan't that bad. He looked down at Gilan's knife in his hand and smiled. When he took it Gilan's face was priceless. He felt awful for leaving but he had to clean up the mess he had made. _How_ he was going to do that was a whole different story, though. He really didn't know what he was going to do, but he would figure everything out in the end. He always did.

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 **A/N: You people better review! I hurt my ankle really bad yesterday and that's why I'm updating so much (I updated my Call of Duty story too). I know this chapter is short, but at least it has some action in it, right? Will ran away! Lol, that was hard to write... REVIEW! :D**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm sooo sorry! I had some really horrible writer's block... and it took me forever to get some inspiration. But now I'm back so please don't murder me with an axe! :D**

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It was so cold. It reminded him of when he'd been captured and taken to Skandia, but not quite as cold. He couldn't stop shivering. His leg hurt and ached, but it didn't bother him much. He was too focused on finding Tyler. It was around 2:00 in the morning now and Halt, Crowley, and Gilan had gone back to the cabin, probably looking at maps trying to figure out where he would go.

He cautiously climbed down the tree and looked around. He knew where he was, but finding Tyler was gonna be difficult. He played with Gilan's saxe knife in his hands and thought about what he was going to do.

 _What would I do if I was Tyler?_

 _Hmmm... I would probably go after Will._

 _Well that's not helping any._

 _Whatever._

He sighed and looked around.

 _Which way should I go?_

 _...Somewhere._

 _You're stupid._

"I guess I'll just go." He said to himself.

He started moving north. He didn't know what he was going to do if he found Tyler. He knew if they fought, he would almost definitely lose but he didn't have enough time to think of a clever plan. He had been walking for a while when he heard something behind him. He quickly turned around, his eyes jumping from side to side in search of danger. He saw a flash of dark blue fabric and brought his knife up into throwing position. The forest was silent. It disappeared and he watched the forest for several seconds, then it showed up again. For a fraction of a second, he had a clear shot. He took the risk. In one smooth movement, the knife was speeding toward its target. But he had made a fatal mistake. He rushed the shot. The knife flew off course, into the depths of the forest. He was just about to run when someone grabbed him from behind. A hand clamped over his mouth before he had a chance to scream. He thrashed in their grip, but couldn't get free. He started hyperventilating.

"Shhh, calm down." Tyler said. He sounded angry.

He screamed, trying to get someone to hear him and come help, but it was muffled by Tyler's hand. His heart was beating so fast he thought it was gonna explode. His breathing sped up faster and faster until he felt like he couldn't breathe. Tyler started dragging him away. He dug his heels into the ground and kicked and thrashed, but he couldn't get away no matter what he did.

 _No please! Not again! Let me go!_

He heard Tyler sigh right before he was roughly thrown on the ground. The force of it knocked the breath out of him. He immediately tried to get up, but was shoved back down. He felt Tyler tie his hands together. Then his ankles. Tyler moved up and grabbed a handful of his hair, yanking his head up. He put something in front of his mouth.

"Open up."

He shook his head and growled.

"Fine then."

He was confused for a second. Then something hit him really hard and pain shot up through his injured leg. Tears filled his eyes and he screamed, but it was cut off when something was forcefully shoved in his mouth. Rope. He felt Tyler tie a really tight knot at the back of his head. He could already feel the headache coming.

"That's much better." Tyler said as he picked him up again.

He growled and writhed.

"We're gonna go someplace quiet. Then we're gonna have a nice long talk about what you've done."

Tyler started walking in the opposite direction of the cabin. He struggled and fought for a while, but eventually gave up. He was exhausted. He didn't know how long they had been walking for, but he knew they must be really deep in the forest by now. He didn't recognize any of the landmarks but then again, he hadn't been able to study his maps in the past year, so he could've just forgotten. His wrists hurt because the circulation was cut off when Tyler tied him up. He had a horrible headache. After what seemed like forever, they came up on an abandoned shack. His blood ran cold, knowing that they had almost reached their destination.

"We're here!" Tyler practically sang as they reached the shack.

He felt nauseous at the thought of being stuck with Tyler again. He saw a black horse sitting outside... it was strange though. It wasn't tied to anything, yet it hadn't run off... it looked like a Ranger horse.

 _No... it couldn't be. You're seeing things._

Tyler opened the door and brought him in. The shack only looked abandoned on the outside, on the inside it held a large variety of torture weapons. He started shaking with fear when he saw the familiar metal table in the middle of the room. Tyler felt him shaking and followed his eyes to the table.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You should feel special, I had that brought here just for you."

 _Nononononono! This can't be happening! Not again!_

Tyler walked over to the table and put him down on it. He frantically tried to wriggle off the table, but Tyler grabbed him and dragged him back before he could escape. He took a knife from his cloak and cut his shirt off. He threw it in the corner. Will shivered when he felt the cold metal below him. Tyler cut the rope around his wrists, but kept a strong hold on his hands so he couldn't do much. He put Will's hand in the restraint and pulled it tight. When Tyler tried to put his other hand in the restraint, he yanked it away from him, which earned him a sharp slap to the face. Tears pooled in his eyes but didn't fall, not yet at least. Will fought against him and lost. 5 minutes later both his hands and feet were in restraints. The rope was still in his mouth and he couldn't seem to calm down.

Tyler was standing at a table that was full of torture weapons. He seemed to be undecided on what to do first. A few moments later he picked up a knife and walked back over to Will. The tears started falling.

"Wow, Will. I've thought of you as many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. Congrats, now it is." He said as he played with the knife.

Will tugged at the restraints and whined when they cut into his wrists, but didn't come undone.

"That's pointless. It's fun to watch you try, though."

 _No no no! Leave me alone!_

Tyler leaned on the edge of the table and slowly dragged the knife down his chest. He stopped breathing.

"Are you trying to die faster or something? Breathe, you idiot." Tyler said as he put more pressure on the knife, watching his face the whole time.

Will whimpered as he felt the tip of the knife break his skin, warm blood following shortly after.

"Are we having fun yet?" Tyler smiled.

 _Leave me alone you sick bastard!_

After a while, Tyler got bored with cutting him. He went to the table again and returned with a syringe. Flashes of memories flew through Will's mind when he saw the syringe.

 _No! Please! Anything but that! Nooo!_

Tyler stood over him, a viscous smile on his face. He had seen the sheer terror in his eyes. Without warning, he grabbed Will's head and turned it to the side. Then he stuck the needle in his neck and injected the poison into him. Seconds later, Will was a screaming, crying, tortured mess.

"I love my job." Tyler said happily as he watched Will suffer.

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 **A/N: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEWS ARE WHAT INSPIRES ME TO KEEP WRITING, SO REVIEW. RIGHT NOOOOOWWW! Merry Christmas by the way! :P**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wow, you guys reviewed A LOT! Thanks everyone, I love you all! :D**

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Halt, Gilan, and Crowley were back at the cabin, trying to figure out why Will had left. Although Gilan only seemed worried about his knife.

"He took my saxe knife! WHY?!"

"If you help us find him, then you can get it back. Whining about it isn't helping." Halt said calmly.

"But... but he took it!"

"Yes he did, and when we find him you can get your revenge by taking it back, but first we need to find him."

Gilan looked at him for a second before getting up and joining them at the table.

"Okay, what are we doing?"

"Packing. Hand me those provisions over there and go saddle up the horses, Tug too."

"Why are we bringing Tug?" He asked as he gave him the provisions.

"Because he's coming back with us one way or another and Tug might be able to help us find him."

Gilan nodded and went to go get the horses ready. He knew Tug would be happy to finally go somewhere, he hadn't been out much since Will's disappearance. When he got to the lean to he started getting Tug ready first.

 _Where did Will go? What happened?_ Tug asked, anxiously stomping his feet.

"Take it easy," Gilan laughed, "You're gonna help us find him."

 _Well that's good. Why'd he leave?_

"I'm not sure, but we'll find him."

He finished getting Tug ready and moved on to Cropper, then Abelard, and lastly, Blaze. They were all curious as to why Will had left and it made him sad because he really didn't have the answer to that.

 _Why did he leave?_

He sighed as Halt and Crowley came out with supplies, ready to leave. It was gonna be a long night.

*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»*«*»

Will screamed as Tyler drove the knife into his shoulder. Blood went everywhere. The poison was still in his system, too, so everything Tyler did hurt a million times worse than it normally would. He couldn't even see straight anymore, everything was blurry. He felt warm blood run down his chest and shivered. There was darkness at the edges of his vision, but every time he got close to blacking out, Tyler would hit him hard enough to bring him back.

"You're having fun, aren't you? Because if you're not, we can take it up a few notches..." Tyler said eerily.

 _No! No please don't!_

"I'll take your silence as a yes." He said happily.

Will cried harder at the thought of more pain. It already hurt _so_ bad, he couldn't possibly imagine it getting worse. A few moments later, Tyler came back with something in his hand. He couldn't see what it was because he had been crying so much. He felt Tyler grab his hand and put something sharp by his nail. He tried to pull his hand away, but he was tied down and Tyler wouldn't let go. Tyler pushed the tip of the knife under his fingernail and kept going until he was at the end of his nail. Then he ripped his fingernail out, leaving bloody skin in its place. Will screamed and cried as Tyler did the same with several of his other fingernails.

The pain was unbelievable. Will's hands throbbed painfully and he could feel blood pooling around them. He just wanted it to end. Couldn't Tyler be merciful and just kill him now?

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Tug led them through the forest, following Will's scent. They soon came to a stop, at a tree. Halt recognized this as the spot where they had lost Will. Tug shook his mane and kept going. That's when Gilan saw something shiny (A/N: oh no... you _know_ things are about to get bad when Gilan sees something shiny...). He dismounted Blaze and went over to it, immediately recognizing it as his saxe knife. He picked it up and brought it back to the group.

"I have a bad feeling something happened to him..." Gilan said, clearly worried about his friend.

"We need to hurry, let's go." Crowley said.

Gilan mounted Blaze again and they continued on for a while. He was starting to worry about Tug leading them in the right direction when they saw an abandoned shack with a horse outside... a Ranger horse, no less.

 _No... It couldn't be..._ Halt and Crowley thought as they looked at the familiar horse sitting outside.

When they'd heard about someone named Tyler, they thought it was just a strange coincidence, but it was starting to look less and less like one by the day. Many years ago, Tyler was a Ranger. He was the best in the corps. His skill with the longbow was stunning. But, one day he turned. On that day he tried to murder King Duncan. He was banished from not only Araluen, but also the Ranger corps. No one ever spoke of him again.

Halt hoped he wasn't back. If he was, that would cause a lot of trouble.

They dismounted their horses and left them by the tree line, out of sight. Silently, they approached the abandoned shack. When they made it to the door Halt kicked it in, an arrow already pulled back on the string of his longbow at full draw. He saw Tyler standing over a bloody Will tied to a table and immediately knew what was going on. He took the shot, and before Tyler even turned around to see who was there, he was dead on the floor.

They all ran over to Will and started untying the restraints. Halt slid a knife under the rope by his cheek and cut it, taking the gag out of his mouth. Gilan was trying to keep pressure on the wounds, but there were so many and blood was just everywhere. Crowley and Halt finished untying him. Crowley was trying to keep Will awake and Halt was debating on whether to take the knife in his shoulder out now or wait, but he decided he should do it now. They were gonna have to hurry back to the cabin and the ride would be rough, he didn't want Will suffering the whole way back.

"Gilan, make sure you keep pressure on those wounds. Crowley, I need you to keep him still."

They both nodded and did as they were told. Halt looked at the knife in his shoulder and found the angle it was put in at. He looked at Crowley to see if he was ready. Crowley had a hand on Will's arm and chest, making sure he stayed still. He nodded to him. Halt grabbed the handle and pulled the knife out. Will screamed as more blood flowed from the wound. He whimpered when Halt put pressure on it and tried to stop the bleeding.

"Shh, It's okay Will. We're gonna bring you back to the cabin and fix you up, it's okay."

Crowley whistled and the horses emerged from the tree line and waited outside.

"You two go, I got him." Halt told them.

They went outside and waited by their horses. Halt carefully picked Will up, trying not to hurt him worse. Will whined through his teeth and tensed when he felt someone pick him up.

"It's alright, I got you. Just relax, you're gonna be fine." Halt said, trying to convince himself more than Will.

Halt came out and walked over to Abelard. He gave Will to Crowley and mounted Abelard, then Crowley handed Will up to him. They headed for the cabin, hoping Will would survive. They were there in less than twenty minutes. When they got close to the house, they noticed someone sitting on the porch. When the person approached them, they were all extremely relieved to see that it was Malcolm. Halt had written him a letter about two weeks ago, requesting his presence to see if he could help them figure out what was wrong with Will. He also wanted him to take a look at some of Will's injuries. He was very glad he was here now, though. Maybe Will had some hope after all.

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 **A/N: Haha... I bet you guys are mad at me for leaving you on such a cliffhanger. Lol, don't kill me, I'll be back soon. REVIEW! :D**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: I don't know if anyone noticed, but the chapters were messed up and I spent about an hour and a half fixing the problem. I don't know what the hell I did but the chapters were really fucked up. I'm really sorry, guys. I didn't mean to mess up the chapters, I'm sorry** **. I will do my best to fix it if it happens again, so please tell me if I screw something up again. Anyways, t** **hanks for the reviews! In chapter five I said I would respond to them again when we got to forty... But I kinda forgot... here ya go!**

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 **Empress of Nihonja: Lol, you crack me up. But you have to admit, I've been doing better with the updates. There should definitely be torture in your story! Because a story without torture and angst is just... just... just...UNSPEAKABLE!**

 **MyLittleRobin: I love coffee too! That's why my name's Coffee Monsta. One time, I had coffee everyday for a whole week and I was sssssuuuuuuuuuppppppppppeeeeeerrrrrrrr hyper! It was crazy. Thanks for reviewing! ;)**

 **Meralyin: Well... I don't know if you read minds or predict the future, but you were right. I didn't do _exactly_ what you said, but it was pretty darn close! I love it when Halt gets mad too! It awesome. Yeah, I know Will's a bit out of character and I've been trying to do better with that. The problem is it's hard to have a lot of angst and keep everyone in character at the same time, but I try! Thanks for the ideas and reviewing!**

 **FantasyFan013: I love getting reviews and feedback from my readers, thanks for the support! :D**

 **The last book keeper: Lol, I'll keep going, don't worry. I might even write a prequel... I'll update again soon! Don't worry! Scary good sounds like my definition for life! Your reviews always make me laugh. It is VERY fun leaving you guys on cliffhangers, but I'll try not to torture you with the anticipation for too long. I know I hate it when people do that to me, so I'll try to have a little empathy.**

 **bubblystream: Thank you! I've been trying to update more often, but then life catches up to me... or I get lazy... Yes, that is true. Since I hurt my ankle I didn't have to walk anywhere, so I could update more! Although that kind of sucked too, when I got hungry I didn't wanna get up...**

 **Guest: Well... I suppose doing your job is a good thing. I'm gonna finish it soon! I don't know _how_ soon, but soon. Thanks for the review! ^_^**

 **FixieGirl: Oh my god I love your enthusiasm! Your review is a perfect description of how I feel after I drink a lot of coffee and read an amazing fanfic story that left me on a HUGE cliffhanger... like seriously! That happened once and I was sooo sad!**

 **Sakura Chara: *super high pitched squeal* Lol, your review made me laugh until I cried. While I was reading it, I couldn't stop imagining really funny things. Sadly, I read it at like 4:00 in the morning and I had to stay quiet so I wouldn't wake anyone up and get murdered. As you can probably tell, I'm not very good at writing fight scenes, but I try. I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS! Thank you! :)**

 **Redcandle1223: Because pain means angst and I'm addicted to angst! It's wonderful and awful at the same time... thanks for the review!**

 **pennydragon: Lol, that's what I think when I see a review. More angst is to come... Yes, it was a pretty cool gift to receive on Christmas. It was also very strange, but that's how I would describe most of my chapters!**

 **saveyour950: Thank you, I was in the middle of writing that chapter and I was like, "Hey, Tug needs to be in here too." So I kind of just added in some detail about him! You're like the only person that commented on it... that's kind of strange, but thanks for noticing that small detail. I'm happy they found Tyler too, he scares me...**

 **Katx: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! My ankle is pretty much better now, but I still can't move it as much as I used to be able to. But that's okay! I'll try to update soon! :)**

 **MakaylaCO: Yeah, I know! Sometimes while I'm working on this story I get depressed, but don't worry! It'll get happier soon... I think. I haven't really thought about what I was going to do yet, but I'll figure it out! I do know it will get happier, though. I'm glad Malcolm is finally here, too! How can you have a good Rangers Apprentice fanfic without Malcolm in it?! It's just not possible.**

 **Chanelx: Thanks for all of your reviews! You always make me laugh! The flashbacks are really fun to write, that's why I have them in several of my stories! Same with the whole cookie thing! I would totally do something like that...**

 **whirlwind144: I'll update soon! I'm trying to hurry, but then life happens. I'm glad Tyler is dead too, he kind of scares me... Thanks for the review!**

 **Alexandraashley: I will try to write more often and I'll definitely keep up the angst! Thanks for the review!**

 **RangerLyra: Lol yeah, I have a sick and twisted sense of humor, but that's okay! Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Something like me: Thanks for the review! I promise I'll update soon! :)**

 **amania00: *raises eyebrow* OMG WHEN YOU SAID THAT I COULDN'T STOP THINKING OF HALT! *gasps* I would NEVER kill Will! That would be horrible! There's no angst if he just DIES! I can't let that happen. I will try to update A.S.A.P!**

 **Natalia Grayson: Omg, you made me laugh so hard. Thank you so much for reviewing, it means a lot. I'll try to update soon so you don't die of anticipation!**

 **Knux27: Sorry! I screwed up the chapters and I had answered your question but, as I said, I screwed it up. I'm sooo sorry!**

 **Jem carstairs: Huh... I thought I heard something! Thanks for clarifying that and telling me what I heard! Thank you for the review! I'll try to update soon!**

 **A/N: You guys have an awesome/sick/twisted sense of humor... just like mine! Lol, you all make me laugh and I really enjoy reading your reviews! Thank you all for the encouragement and support! I love you guys! ^_^**

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Halt literally jumped off his horse, grabbed Will, and ran inside. Gilan and Crowley did the same. Malcolm, being an experienced healer, didn't ask questions and hurried inside after them. He knew they would tell him what happened later, for now he was just worried about Will. They brought him to Halt's room and set him down on the bed. Gilan was trying to keep pressure on the stab wound in his shoulder while Malcolm gave him a quick look over to see what he would need. It wasn't pretty. He had several severe burns, over a dozen cuts, his wrists and ankles were raw, it looked like he had a couple broken ribs, a broken wrist, he had bruises everywhere, and most of his fingernails were missing. Will was sweating profusely and his cheeks were flushed. He put a hand on his forehead and sighed. He had a fever.

"Gilan, go get me some water and a wash cloth."

He nodded and ran from the room. Malcolm dug through his bag and found a syringe and filled it with a clear liquid.

"What's that?" Crowley asked.

"A painkiller. I would usually sedate him, but with injuries as severe as these, I'm afraid he wouldn't wake up. But I can sedate him after I treat some of the more severe injuries, he'll be stable enough then."

He sat by him on the bed and gave him the shot. Will whined and tried to move away, mumbling something about poison.

"It's alright Will, this is just to help with the pain."

He opened his eyes a bit and looked around. Gilan came back with a bucket of water and set it down by the bed. Malcolm put the wash cloth in the bucket to get it wet, then he gently rubbed it on Will's cheeks and slowly worked his way down to his chest in an effort to cool him down. This also gave the painkillers more time to kick in. Will shivered and his breathing hitched. Malcolm put the wash cloth back in the bucket and walked over to Halt.

"I need to set his wrist and start cleaning out the more severe wounds."

Halt nodded his understanding and moved to sit on the bed with Will. He put a hand on his arm and chest to keep him still. Gilan and Crowley stood by his legs. Malcolm moved to his arm and studied it for a moment before he started to gently poke and prod at it to see how bad it was. Will whimpered and he had a good idea of it. Then Malcolm put pressure on his wrist it until the bone snapped back into place with a loud pop. He screamed and writhed, but they managed to keep him relatively still. Tears pooled in his eyes and he looked kind of like a puppy.

"It's okay Will, we're just trying to help."

Malcolm got a disinfectant and looked at them. They nodded to show they were ready and he poured some of it on Will's shoulder. It fizzled and bubbled angrily as it got cleaned out. The tears overflowed and slid down his face at the same time the scream left his mouth. They tried to keep him still, but he was a lot stronger than he looked and it was difficult.

"Will, stop!" Halt yelled.

"No, no! Leave me alone!" Will said.

He ignored him and kept fighting. The movement caused smaller cuts to open and start bleeding, which only made it worse.

"Damn it, keep him still!"

After a few minutes, Will stopped fighting and just lied there panting, his face still wet with tears. Malcolm sighed in relief and got a needle and thread. The stab wound wasn't very long, about an inch. It wouldn't need many stitches, probably just six or seven. He sat down on the bed and leaned over his shoulder, putting an arm by it to make sure he didn't move. As soon as the needle pierced his skin, Will jerked back but there was nowhere for him to go. He didn't like it at all. He cried more when he felt it go through again.

"Shhh, you're okay. Just a few more, he's almost done." Halt said soothingly.

It didn't take long for him to finish with the stitches and Will calmed down a bit, his breathing not quite as ragged. Malcolm cleaned out some of the other wounds, but none of them were very big. Will was still upset, but they needed to get this done. He had to get stitches for several other cuts, but they didn't need as many as the stab wound, which had ended up getting eight. After he was done with that, Malcolm filled another syringe with a yellowish liquid.

"He seems stable enough now, I'll give him a sedative and treat the rest of his wounds while he's asleep." He said to them.

Will was too out of it to listen. He almost fell asleep on his own, but then he felt a prick in his arm. He was automatically reminded of Tyler and the poisons, but sleep took over before he could dwell on it.

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 **A/N: I know it was a short chapter, but at least you're not still on a HUGE cliffhanger! Please review! We'll have an imaginary (but still awesome) party when we get to 100 reviews! I'll bring pizza... But only if you review...**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello! Plz don't kill me... I was busy with school. By the way, I have midterms next week. So the updates might slow down for a few days, I just wanted to tell you guys. Midterms are horrible... I hate them. Maybe I'll skip school on the testing days...**

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Will lay on the bed, sleeping peacefully while Malcolm tended to his wounds. Halt sat on the other side of the bed, dabbing Will's face with a wash cloth to try and get his fever down. Malcolm wrapped his wrist and put it in a sling. He wrapped his ribs too, as there wasn't much else he could do for them besides that. He then started working on treating the burns. He grabbed another wash cloth and got it wet, then he cleaned out the burns. He had to be very careful so he wouldn't do any further damage. There weren't that many, only four. The largest one was about big as the bottom of a cup, the others slightly smaller. But they were all very bad. He would need to watch them carefully during the healing process. He had already cleaned most of the cuts, but there were a few left. Will's wrists and ankles were raw, so he cleaned them and wrapped them with gauze to keep them clean. It was _so_ hard not to stare at the hundreds of scars that marred his body. He wondered how he had gotten them all. He knew Will had disappeared for nine months, but no one had any details on what happened. He didn't think anyone else knew he was back either...

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Gilan asked quietly.

"I can't tell for sure. It mostly depends on if his fever goes down, but we'll also have to make sure none of the wounds get infected."

"Do you need any help?"

"No, we've got it. You can go get some rest."

"No, it's okay. I'm not tired."

Halt looked up at him. He had dark circles under his eyes and it was very obvious that he was trying not to fall asleep. He couldn't blame him though, it was nearly 4 in the morning now and none of them had gotten any sleep last night because they were too busy trying to find Will. They've all been very stressed lately too, because they were worried about Will. He wouldn't be surprised if Gilan hadn't gotten much sleep for the last week.

"Hey, I know you want to help Will. But there's nothing you can do right now, Gilan. You won't be able to help him later if you collapse, so go get some sleep." Halt said gently.

Gilan looked sadly at Will for a long moment before sighing and reluctantly trudging to the couch to get some sleep. Crowley sat in a chair by the foot of the bed. He was really worried about Will and he had so many questions.

 _Why did he leave? How did Tyler get here? What happened while he was gone for nine months? How did he get captured? Was there anyone else who hurt him? Why, why, why..._

Halt was wondering the same things. He was so deep in thought that he almost didn't hear Malcolm's voice.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened?" He asked as he inserted an IV into Will's arm. (A/N: I don't know if they had IVs back then, but for now we'll just pretend they did...)

"I don't know much either, but I _do_ know that he was tortured by Tyler. I'm not sure if anyone else was involved." Halt said.

"I thought you got him back, why was he with Tyler again?"

"He ran off and I guess he took him. _How_ he took him, I don't know. I just know Will has a lot to explain when he wakes up."

"Didn't Tyler get banished?"

"Yes, I was there when King Duncan banished him. He must've snuck back into Araluen by ship. That would be easy for someone like him."

"I suppose so. Why did Will run off?"

"As I said, I don't know much. I have a lot of guesses, but nothing concrete."

"Is-"

Halt raised an eyebrow. "You're worse than Will. Quit asking so many questions."

They continued playfully arguing for a while. Gilan lied down on the couch and tried to sleep, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't. He was too worried about Will. What if he ran off again? And if he did, what if they didn't find him this time? He was relieved that they had found him, but it hurt him to see his friend so badly injured. He loved Will and was glad they finally had him back, but he felt like it wasn't _him._ The Will he used to know smiled all the time and joked around just like a normal person. This Will was depressed and he didn't speak unless spoken to. It was almost like he was the exact opposite of what he used to be. The worst part was there was nothing he could do about it. Even if there was, he didn't know what to do.

Will was like a completely different person and he didn't know how to approach him. Engaging in conversation was hard because if Will didn't feel like talking, he just didn't. Even if he did feel like talking, he never spoke much anymore. His answers were usually short and clipped, almost as if he were scared to talk. His worst fear was losing Will again. He had already lost him twice and that was two times too many. Gilan felt a little better now that Malcolm was here, though. He knew that he could help.

He lay there with his eyes closed for a while, thinking everything over. He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Halt walk over, although it was very easy not to. He flinched when he felt something being laid on top of him. His eyes snapped open and he sat up, but a strong hand on his shoulder stopped him from standing.

"It's okay, it's just me. Go back to sleep." Halt said gently.

Gilan looked at him for a moment before laying back down and closing his eyes again. He pulled the blanket up to his chin to stay warm. Halt stayed there for a few minutes to make sure he was okay. He knew this must be especially hard on him. Will was his best friend and it must be hard to see him hurt like this, mainly because there was nothing he could do to help. He must've been so happy when they found him, only to have him disappear again a week later. It was hard on all of them, though. Nothing was easy anymore. The farther life took you, the harder it seemed to get. He watched him for a few more moments before quietly returning to his bedroom to sit with Will.

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 **A/N: Sorry, not much happened in this chapter. That's why it's so short. Has anyone noticed that I always update at like two o'clock in the morning? I'm crazy... REVIEW! Please please please review! If I get reviews, I'll probably be more inclined to update again soon... *hint* *hint***


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm so sorry, guys! Midterms were boring as hell and I had a whole bunch of other crap I was busy doing. At least I got good grades on my midterms, though! But the only thing I learned from taking them is that I suck at math... like seriously...**

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Malcolm stayed by Will's side all night, trying to get his fever to break. Sadly, he was unsuccessful at doing so. By the time everyone else (except Will) woke up, he had fallen asleep in the chair beside Will's bed. Halt discreetly snuck in to check on Will, only to find a sleeping Malcolm. He smiled at the sight and checked Will's fever. It was still pretty high, but better than last night. He wet the wash cloth and laid it on his forehead before very quietly creeping out of the room and going to the kitchen to make breakfast and coffee. After several minutes, Gilan woke up with a groan.

Halt gave a small smile and said, "Good morning, Gilan."

Gilan said something incoherent in response and he chucked. Gilan got up a while later, as did Crowley and they had breakfast together. Halt saved some for Malcolm, deciding to let the healer get some sleep while he had the chance. Will was still out cold, but he saved some for him too.

"How's Will?" Gilan asked around a mouthful of bacon and eggs.

"Asleep." Halt replied.

Gilan scowled at him and said, "I was referring to his fever."

"It's lower than last night, but still higher than it should be."

Gilan nodded and continued to eat his food, unable to think of anything else to say. After a while, Malcolm came out and ate some breakfast.

"How is he?" Crowley asked when he sat down.

The healer thought about it for a few moments before answering.

"His fever is lower, but not by much. If we're lucky, it'll break today, but I can't promise anything. When was the last time he ate something?"

"Ummm... I think it was the day before he left, but he didn't eat much at all, only a few bites."

"You need to make sure he eats. He's severely malnourished. He'll have to stay in bed for at least a couple weeks, I don't want to chance him tearing his stitches."

They all nodded.

"But there's an issue... ummm... well... when you found him... what was in the room with him?"

They looked at each other, confused as to why he would ask about where they found him.

"Tyler and a bunch of torture weapons, why?"

"Was there anything to inject liquids with... like a syringe...?"

Halt thought about it.

"...Yes, there was a whole table full of them." He was starting to see what Malcolm was getting at and he hoped they were wrong.

Malcolm looked really worried now.

"What did they look like?"

"There were a whole bunch of different colored ones. Now will you _please_ tell me what you're going on about?" Gilan said, starting to get annoyed with all the questions.

The healer was about to elaborate when there was a pained cry from Halt's bedroom. They all shot up from their chairs and ran to the room. Will was standing beside the bed with a very confused look on his face. When they came into the room he jumped and immediately started backing away from them, quietly muttering nonsense to himself.

 _Nonononononono... why won't Tyler just leave me alone? What did I ever do to deserve this?_ Will thought as his eyes desperately searched for an escape route.

"Will, you need to lay back down. You shouldn't even be up yet." Halt said calmly.

Will hurriedly shook his head and swayed slightly as it made him dizzy. He kept backing away from them, seeming to forget that there was a wall behind him. He flinched and yelped when he felt his back hit something hard behind him, only to realize that it was the wall. He was cornered.

"No... no! Leave me alone!" He cried as they slowly edged closer.

Tears filled his eyes and ran down his cheeks as he slid down the wall and hid his face in his hands, not wanting to see them get any closer. This wasn't real. He _knew_ it wasn't. Tyler... he must've given him something, this wasn't real! He felt nauseous knowing that this was just another illusion. He pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them tightly. The poison that was still rushing through his veins burned worse than anything he had ever felt. It wouldn't stop. He _really_ wanted it to stop. It hurt so bad. Why couldn't this all just be over? He really wanted to see his friends again, but in reality he was probably still with Tyler... tied to a table... being tortured.

"Will, don't cry. What's wrong?" A voice right by him said.

He flinched, he hadn't heard them get so close. He didn't like it. He just wanted to go be with his real friends! Was that really a lot to ask? He felt a hand on his shoulder and cried harder.

"Leave me alone... you're not even real..." He whined, swatting the hand away and wincing when he noticed his wrist was broken. It hurt. A lot.

"What are you talking about? Of course we're real."

"No... you're not." He said, still refusing to look at them.

"Look at me, Will." The voice said, gently pulling at his arm.

He shook his head again, he didn't want to look at them. They weren't even real. There was no point.

 _BANG!_

He jumped and looked up when he heard a loud noise from across the room. He saw Malcolm with a syringe in his hand. Then Malcolm was gone and Tyler appeared, syringe in hand as usual. He was going to give him more poison. No, he would rather _die_ than have more poison in his system. He jumped up and bolted for the door, almost there when he felt a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist and start dragging him back into the room.

"NOOO! LEAVE M-ME ALONE!" He screamed, thrashing to try and get free, but to no avail.

He felt the person tighten their grip on him right before he felt himself being pushed onto a bed and pinned there. He tried to kick, but he couldn't move his legs because the person had their full weight pressing down on him, which made it practically impossible to move. His broken ribs flared with pain at having so much weight on them. He whimpered and shut his eyes tight, scared that if he looked up he would see Tyler.

"Will, calm down. Look at me." Someone ordered.

He shut his eyes even tighter and turned his head away from them. More tears raced down his cheeks and he couldn't seem to calm down. He heard someone say a couple things, but he wasn't listening, currently too busy having flashbacks. Someone tried to talk to him several times, but he ignored them and kept trying wriggle his way out of their grip. After a few tense minutes, someone sighed heavily and a moment later he felt a sharp prick in his neck. His eyes snapped open, but as luck might have it, exhaustion chose that moment to hit him like a bus. His eyes slowly drifted shut once more and he fell asleep.

That's when Horace walked in.

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 **A/N: Hahaha, I left you guys on a HUUUGGGEEE cliffhanger! Ooohhh, before I forget! Chanelx is my new muse for this story (she helps me with ideas and gives suggestions as to what I should do next) So, she has credit for the next few chapters! They were very helpful with ideas and if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't have been able to update yet! Yay! Oh, by the way, you should totally review... I almost have 100 and *whispers* when we get to 100 reviews I am having a really awesome imaginary party... there'll be pizza... and donuts... and a whole bunch of other foods that taste amazing but will make ya chubby. Lol, REVIEW! :D**


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey guys! I GOT 100 REVIEWS! I'M SO HAPPY! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Reviews make my day! Chanelx is my new muse for this story, so everyone should appreciate her because she helps me out A LOT. :D**

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Horace sighed as he set his belongings down on his bed. He had just returned from a long and tiresome mission in Skandia. It was nothing serious, just escorting a courier to deal with Araluen's legal business. He had been away for an entire month and was relieved to be back home. But he also felt sad because Will was gone. He really missed his best friend. Ever since Will went missing, it felt like he had a huge hole in his heart that couldn't be filled. They had searched and searched, but never found anything. The longer Will was gone, the more everyone seemed to lose hope.

He hadn't really talked to any of his friends since then. He had grown very distant from most of them, except for a select few, all of which refused to let him distance himself from them. He smiled slightly. He had missed Halt and Gilan while he was away, Alyss too. He wanted to visit them right now, but he was exhausted and decided to take and nap and a shower before leaving.

About two hours later...

Horace slowly began to wake up as the sunlight shone through his curtains and onto his face. He sat up and went to the window. Studying the position of the sun, he guessed it was around 3:00 in the afternoon. Sighing, he went and took a quick shower. When he was done he trudged downstairs to get Kicker ready to leave. A few people greeted him on his way to the stalls and he politely nodded to them, as he currently didn't really feel like talking to anyone. When he reached the stalls Kicker nickered happily and shook his mane. He smiled and patted him on the nose before tacking him up.

It only took him about ten minutes, then they were ready to leave. He mounted Kicker and gently nudged his side, urging him forward. The ride to Halt's cabin was peaceful. He enjoyed the cool breeze as it brushed past his face. It was early spring now in Araluen and after spending an extremely chilly winter in Skandia, he enjoyed the warmth the sun provided. He also officially hated snow. He could recall at least five times in Skandia where he'd slipped on a patch of ice and face-planted into the freezing snow. It was a rather unpleasant experience, especially when everyone nearby laughed at him, including one Oberjarl Erak. He shook his head at the memory and grinned. Svengal, Erak's first mate, had laughed at him too.

He hadn't realized how much time had gone by and when be looked up, he could see the roof of Halt's cabin around the bend. As he became visible to the horses in the lean to, they nickered a warning, but corrected themselves after realizing that he was a friend. He arrived a few minutes later and dismounted Kicker, putting him in the lean to with Abelard, Blaze, and Cropper. He also noticed an unfamiliar horse tethered to one of the many trees in the yard and wondered who else was here. He was surprised to see that all three of them were there, it was fairly rare to have three Rangers staying in one home all at the same time. Halt's cabin wasn't exactly what one would call large and he wondered idly how they all fit in there, but then again, he wasn't sure if Gilan and Crowley were staying or just visiting.

 _I suppose I'll ask when I get in._

He took care of Kicker, giving him a good brushing before going inside. As he trudged up the steps-

"NOOO! LEAVE M-ME ALONE!"

 _Will._ Was the first thought that sprang to his mind, but he put it aside, telling himself that it was impossible.

The scream rang out from inside the cabin and he bolted the rest of the way up the stairs before yanking the door open and rushing inside, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He froze. Halt had someone pinned to the bed in his room. Malcolm was standing off to the side holding a syringe that was full of something, seemingly unsure of what to do. Crowley was also standing to the side, watching the scene with an unexplainable sadness in his eyes. The person pinned to the bed looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't seem to recall who he reminded him of...

He just stood there and watched the scene, a nervous feeling eating at him. He didn't know why he was so edgy, he just _was_ for some reason. He was getting frustrated because he couldn't remember who- then it clicked. The dark brown hair. The sound of his voice when he screamed. The reason why the first thought that ran through his mind was _Will._ Because this _was_ Will. As soon as he realized this, red hot anger flooded through him. How long had Will been back? Why hadn't anyone told him? He was one of Will's best friends, he deserved to know that they had found him! The next thing that followed was hurt. He had really missed Will. Did they not trust him enough to tell him? Was he not good enough to know? What if they just didn't like him anymore? He didn't even notice when the tears ran down his cheeks. Before he even realized what he was doing, he started walking toward the bedroom. The three Rangers and the healer looked up as he stood in the doorway of the room.

"Horace..." Malcolm said, slowly stepping toward him.

Between the anger and hurt flooding through him, he didn't know what to do. He felt completely and utterly betrayed. When they were out searching for Will, Halt had _sworn_ to tell him when they found him. Why didn't he tell him? His eyes moved to Will. He looked so bad that it hurt Horace to look at him. And the scars... there were just so many... He turned away and went to leave, not wanting to see anyone right now. He was halfway through the living room when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Horace, please let me explain." Halt said.

He swatted the hand away and turned to glare at his older friend.

"Why should I?! You swore, Halt! You swore that you would tell me when you found him and you didn't! You're a liar!" He yelled angrily, tears still rolling down his cheeks.

"I couldn't-"

"What is it? Am I not good enough to be told? Do you not trust me anymore? No Halt, I won't let you explain. You don't deserve the right to explain anything."

He turned to leave, but turned back as another thought ran through his mind.

"Did you even bother to think about Alyss? How she would feel if she knew..." He trailed off.

He had to tell Alyss. She deserved to know. Hell, _he_ deserved to know, but apparently he wasn't good enough to be told.

"Horace, please just sit down. We'll explain everything and-"

"No! You know, at this point I don't even _want_ to know how long he's been back. It's none of my business. I mean he's only my best friend, what does it matter if I'm informed of when he is found after being gone for nine months. I thought you guys trusted me, but nope. Apparently I'm just a stupid warrior who-"

His sentence was interrupted when he was slammed against a wall and held there by Halt.

"Hey! Let me-" He was interrupted once again as a hand clamped over his mouth.

He struggled and squirmed, but the Ranger had him in a position where he had no room to move which made it impossible to fight back. He couldn't reach his sword either. After a few minutes he stopped fighting and looked directly into Halt's eyes. Tears shone in them too, but unlike Horace, he didn't let them fall. Only then did the Ranger speak.

"Listen to me, Horace. You have two options. You are either going to sit down and let me explain to you why we didn't tell you that we found Will, or you are going to try to leave, at which point I will knock you out and you'll listen to my explanation when you wake up. One or two?" He asked, his voice dangerously low.

He removed his hand from the younger man's mouth so he could answer.

"One," He said quietly.

Halt nodded and let go of him, going to the couch to sit down. The rest of them did the same and looked at Horace, as if waiting for him to sit down. He hesitated slightly before doing so. He wanted to run for the door, but with three Rangers in the house, he knew he would never make it. Over the next hour Halt, Gilan, and Crowley explained what all had happened while he was away and why they hadn't told him, or anyone else about Will. Horace was still hurt that they hadn't told him, but now that he understood their reasoning, it wasn't as bad as before. By the time they were done telling him everything he was exhausted, both mentally and physically. He had only gotten two hours of sleep since yesterday afternoon and all of the stress that today brought combined made him nearly doze off more than a few times.

Eventually, he really _did_ doze off. Vaguely, he felt a pair of hands unbuckle the belt that held his sword and slip it off- probably so he wouldn't roll over and accidentally stab himself in his sleep. Normally, he would've objected. No one touches Horace Altman's sword, not unless they want to be beheaded. But he was too tired to move and he trusted them with his sword, he knew they would take good care of it until he woke up. The last thing he felt before he fell into a deep sleep was himself being gently laid down on his back and a blanket being thrown over him.

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 **A/N: RRREEEVVVIIIEEEWWW! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: Umm... hello! Sorry... I had some family issues and school was crazy busy! But look on the bright side, I'm back. That in itself is a miracle... considering how lazy I am... oops...**

 **Chanelx is my wonderfully creative muse! She is AWESOME!**

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 **saveyour950: Hello! Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, I'm happy they found Tyler too... he was starting to creep me out... I LOVE PIZZA TOO! IT'S THE BEST THING EVEEER!**

 **MakaylaCO: Lol, you always manage to make me laugh and you review A LOT! Thanks so much for all the encouragement and support! :) Haha, Will never did anything to me, but I have a serious addiction to angst... and major characters getting hurt is considered angst... I was wondering if anyone was gonna notice that Will wasn't given the antidote, but don't worry, he WON'T DIE. But yes, I really love hurting Will... oh great... now everyone probably thinks I'm creepy... Well they probably already thought it anyways, so who cares? Also, I love how you say "WHAT THE CRAP?!" Haha, it's funny. You crack me up.**

 **Sakura Chara: Haha, it's kinda creepy... but I laugh when the bad guy in a story dies too... By the way, Will is NOT going to die! I HATE it when I read a story and one of the major characters die! Plus, it would be so un-dramatic... and it's just not right...**

 **Guest: Aww! Thank you! Thanks for reviewing too, it makes me EXTREMELY HAPPY!**

 **Natalia Grayson: Hahaha, thanks for the reviews! If I ever get the time, I will go read some of your stories! And yes, I will write more stories with LOADS of angst and of course, Halt acting like a father to his apprentices!**

 **RangerLyra: Your welcome! I needed to update... haha, I'm so slow when it comes to updating... sorry about that, but life gets in the way of writing a lot cause... Well it just does. 3 out of 5 of my stories are SUPER angsty, so yes, there's lots and lots of angst everywhere. I love leaving my readers on cliffhangers, it's so much fun!**

 **Anonymous: I like your name, it's all... MYSTERIOUS AND STUFF! Thanks for the review!**

 **whirlwind144: *blushes* Awww, thanks! I try... also, it's pretty cool that we're the same age!**

 **pennydragon: Huh... I honestly don't know what to say when you review with one word... *sigh* (can't you tell I'm not good at socializing?) Lol, thanks for the review! I love Will and Gilan's relationship too! It's so cute! :)**

 **Skyrazer: Hah, thanks. If you ever sing Barney again, I'm leaving and never coming back! It's true that I would probably give Scalpel a run for his money with the whole torturing thing...**

 **Will herondale: Well, I figured adding Gilan's thoughts would help develop the characters more and it made the chapter a bit longer, so win win! According to what I've said in earlier chapters and my own common knowledge (and of course, some research) Will is about 21 or 22 years old. Feel free to ask about anything else you might be curious or unsure about! I'll do my best to answer any other questions you may have!** **Thanks for the review!**

 **MidnightNinja27: I really like your name! Mostly because ninjas are really awesome, but midnight ninjas are even BETTER!**

 **Meralyin: Thanks for your consideration of the fact that I had midterms! Sometimes people forget that I am busy and have a life too, (*cough* *cough* Skyrazer!) and they don't consider those facts, so thank you for doing so! Also thanks for the review! I appreciate it! ;)**

 **Chanelx: Lol, love the enthusiasm! Thank you for reviewing and also for being such a huge help with giving me ideas! It really does help a lot! :)**

 **Ranger Natalia: Aww! Thank you for the lovely review! It made me so happy when I read it! I'll try to keep updating as often as possible, but I try to alternate between The Assassin and my other story You Can't Kill a Roach, so it could be a while, but I will definitely keep this story going!**

 **FantasyFan013: Lol, actually I was kinda surprised too when I brought Horace back. I wasn't planning on doing it so soon, but I got bored and needed to write about something dramatic (I say that as if this whole story isn't dramatic...) Thank you for the awesome review!**

 **Tessa grey: Thank you for the support and reviews! I really appreciate them!**

 **WhenThereIsAFandom: Your name is pretty interesting! Btw I love your profile picture! TOOTHLESS IS ADORABLE! Thanks for the review! :D**

 **A/N: Oh my God, that was a lot of work. It took me at least two hours to type all that up by the way! Whoooo... I'm so tired right now... it's like 10:30 at night...**

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"NOOOO! HORACE! HELP M-" The scream echoed through the forest but was abruptly cut off.

Horace tried to follow the sound, but it seemed to come from all directions. He frantically looked around, desperately searching for Will but unable to find him. The forest was dark and his feet seemed to disappear beneath the thick fog that covered the ground. The trees were all dead and grey, their leaves nowhere to be seen. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, but he didn't notice, much less care. Will was gone.

"WILL! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He yelled, eyes searching high and low for his missing friend.

He ran toward where he thought he had last heard the voice but everything looked the same to him. The trees in front of him seemed to be identical to the ones he had just passed. He attempted to think of a logical answer to his problem but he was panicking and couldn't think straight. The forest seemed to close in on him from all sides and he tried to calm down. He was claustrophobic and hated that feeling. He leaned against a tree for a moment and slowed his breathing. After a few minutes, he continued.

"No no no no no..." He mumbled, not willing to believe that his friend was _actually_ gone.

He ran through the dense forest, refusing to stop. He didn't know how long he had been running for, nor did he care. He was sweating profusely and gasping for breath. His lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, but he still refused to stop. He couldn't. No. He wouldn't. Not until he found- a blood curdling scream filled the air. He flinched at the sudden loud noise, then bolted toward the sound.

"WILL! I'M COMING!"

He slowed down, thoroughly confused when the forest suddenly disappeared. Now he was in a clearing, the tall grass swaying peacefully in the wind. Well, it would have been peaceful, had there not been something in the middle of the clearing. Without thinking he ran toward it, only seeing the bright red that covered the ground. He wasn't even there yet but tears had already formed in his eyes. He didn't know why. He wasn't sure why he was running or what he was running toward, but he strongly felt the need to reach whatever was in the center of the clearing.

He fell to his knees when he finally reached his destination, every emotion imaginable flooding through him. Pain, fear, regret, hatred, you name it he felt it. Will's mangled, blood covered corpse lay on the ground, his lifeless brown eyes staring into oblivion.

Horace had failed.

"="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="="

Halt, Gilan, and Crowley sat at the table, each nursing a mug of precious coffee. Malcolm was in Halt's room tending to Will, who was still unconscious from the sedative they had given him. He still had a low grade fever, but it was a large improvement compared to yesterday. Horace was still asleep on the couch. It was obvious that he was exhausted and needed some sleep. They all knew he hadn't been doing well. After several months of searching for Will and finding nothing, he had lost hope. For four long months he had been withdrawn and he distanced himself from his friends, falling into depression. He rarely ever left his room. At one point Halt had started to wonder if he died in there or something. But no, he hadn't. King Duncan was also upset about Will's disappearance, but had grown tired of the absence of Horace, whom refused to leave his room. His staff reported that they sometimes heard crying when they walked by his room. Duncan felt bad for the young man, and decided he needed something to take his mind off of Will. So, naturally, he had sent him to Skandia on a mission. The very same mission he had just returned from.

Gilan sighed sadly and the two older men present exchanged a glance. Halt was about to ask him what was wrong when there was a yell.

"WILL!"

They jumped up from their positions at the table in unison and were about to run to Will's room when they realized it was Horace having a nightmare. He had had a lot of those right after Will disappeared, but they didn't know he was still having them. He was covered in sweat and writhing on the couch, muttering nonsense. They were able to pick out a few words, 'Will' and 'no' being the most common. He was entangled in the multiple blankets they had put on him to keep him warm and he struggled against them, only getting more tangled up in the process.

"Horace, wake up." Halt said, soundlessly moving to stand beside the couch.

He put a hand on his shoulder and gently shook him, needing him to wake up but trying not to startle him at the same time. Horace whimpered and shied away from his hands. Suddenly his breathing rapidly increased and without warning he yelled, "NOOOO! WILL!" Then he sat bolt upright and would've leapt from the couch had Halt not been there to grab him and prevent him from doing so.

"No! No, leave me alone!" He yelped when he felt someone grab him.

"Horace, calm down. It was just a dream." Halt grunted, having trouble keeping him from having a panic attack.

Horace's immediate response was to fight back and his right hand shot down to his side, where his sword usually was. It wasn't there. He started panicking when he realized it was missing, and fought more desperately to get away from Halt. In his panic, he forgot that Halt had taken his sword when he fell asleep so he wouldn't hurt himself. Malcolm walked out of Halt's bedroom, looking thoroughly confused.

"What's going on out-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Horace, who looked like sh**.

He looked at Gilan and Crowley for an explanation, but received none. Horace stopped fighting for a second and looked at Halt, recognition making an appearance in his eyes. He slowed his breathing and slumped back down onto the couch, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Only one thought was present in his mind- he had failed Will. And nothing would ever change that.

* * *

 **A/N: Hah, poor Horace. I couldn't resist giving him nightmares, but who _wouldn't_ have nightmares after their best friend disappeared right before their eyes?! Seriously peoples, this story's nothing without its drama. I PROMISE THERE WILL BE MORE WILL ACTION (wow that sounds bad...) IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. He'll probably be a bit... tied up... cause he freaks out really easily... and Halt doesn't want him to leave/escape again... so of course the perfect solution is to tie him to the bed. Plus, as I'm sure you guys already know, I am addicted to angst, so therefore I must tie someone up. It's just gotta happen. I can't really prevent it. Oops. :P**


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello! I'm so sorry... I had to update my other story... then I got an idea for a one shot that wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to write the one shot and publish it. Then school got in the way (I kinda wish I could drop out... But I can't) and my stupid Stupid STUPID math teacher decided to be a b****. I really hate her. So, to sum it all up, I apologize for not updating in forever. But now I am back, so WOOHOO! :P**

 **HEY! CHANELX IS MA MUSE SO BE NICE TO HER!**

* * *

Cold. That was the first thing he noticed when he began to wake up. Everything was cold. His head pounded and acid coursed through his veins, bringing him back to the harsh reality that was his life. He was awake but didn't want to open his eyes. Didn't want to see Tyler's sadistic smile looming over him. Everything hurt, even the simple task of breathing. He vaguely remembered Tyler giving him another dose of poison.

 _No wonder everything hurts._ He thought bitterly.

He shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position and hoping to fall back asleep when pain exploded in his ribs and quickly spread throughout the rest of his body. He whimpered in pain and immediately froze, not wanting to cause himself more pain. His voice was raw and dry, feeling like sandpaper to his still half asleep mind. He heard someone move and his heart skipped a beat. He stopped breathing and laid there stiff as a board, waiting for something, _anything_ to happen. After a few moments he began to wonder if anything _was_ going to happen. His curiosity grew and grew until he couldn't stand to wait any longer. He slowly opened his eyes to slits and peered around the room, nearly jumping off the bed when he realized someone was beside him. Crippling pain spread throughout his body once more and this time he cried out, efficiently waking the person beside him up. The person, seeing that he was awake, straightened up as his eyes roamed up and down over Will, seemingly searching for injury. The person looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite remember who it was...

"Will, you're finally awake. Are you alright?" Malcolm asked quietly, well aware that he probably had a headache.

Will was most certainly _not_ alright. He couldn't process a word of what Malcolm had said, so therefore had no clue as to what was being said by the man standing above him. Nor did he register the worried look in his older friend's eyes. He took no notice of the tears that were sliding down his cheeks from the poison that pumped through his veins at an alarming rate. Then, to make matters worse, the flashbacks returned. A side effect of the poison Tyler had given him. Malcolm turned into Tyler and torture weapons lined the walls. He whimpered and hid under the pile of blankets that covered him, tightly shutting his eyes as he did so, not wanting to see the smile that lit up 'Tyler's' face.

Malcolm was very concerned about Will's mental state. He seemed to be very skittish and afraid of every little thing. He felt bad for his friend. Will was 21 years old, but he currently looked similar to when he was 14. He slowly reached out and touched Will's arm, who flinched and cried out in surprise, leaning as far away from him as he could go while tied down to the bed. Malcolm was also surprised that Will hadn't noticed that yet. How can someone _not_ notice when they're literally tied to a bed?! The last time Will woke up, he had freaked out and had a panic attack, and none of them were able to calm him down so they were forced to sedate him. In his panic, Will had accidentally torn some of his stitches and Malcolm had had to redo them. He didn't want that happening again because it increased the likelihood of infection setting in. And in their time, no matter how good a healer you had, infection was _bad._ In fact many people died from it. And Halt didn't want Will to leave (escape) again because that had ended _really_ badly. So, therefore, they had tied Will to the bed (A/N: I know it sounds kinky and I apologize for that... but what else can you tie a severely injured/sick person to besides a bed?!) to prevent him from running away or further injuring himself again.

Suddenly the door opened and Gilan quietly inched into the room, eyes immediately going to Will.

"Is he...?" He asked, leaving the rest of the sentence unspoken while trying not to get his hopes up.

Malcolm nodded and said, his voice full of concern, "Something's wrong. He's upset over something and he won't stop crying."

Gilan sighed and shifted his gaze back to the bed on which Will was quietly crying into the blankets that covered him. He mouthed 'I got it' and walked over to bed, laying down beside Will and gazing intently at his face.

"Will? What's wrong?" He asked quietly, gently pulling the covers away from the younger man's face.

Will whined and clutched tightly at the blankets, pulling them back toward him and continuing to cry. Neither of them noticed Malcolm slip out of the room.

"Hey, what is it? It's okay... you're okay... Shhh."

Gilan slowly moved closer to him so as not to startle him and when he was close enough he wrapped the younger man in a hug. He was surprised when Will didn't freak out as he had expected him to. He simply laid there, not doing anything (although there wasn't much he _could_ do... he's kinda tied up) Well, he tensed up, but besides that he didn't do anything. Gilan rested his chin on top of Will's head and sighed. He could feel Will shaking and his heart rate was a lot faster than average. But at least he was okay for once. For the first time in the past year, everything seemed almost peaceful. They stayed like that for a while, the older of the two whispering calm reassurances in the other's ear, hoping that he would eventually calm down enough to talk to him but not expecting it.

Will tried desperately to sort through his thoughts as his mind seemed to explode, thoughts being scattered all over the place. They all included Tyler. He was unprepared when a pair of strong arms enveloped him. He wanted to get away. To scream and fight back with everything he had because an alarm in his mind went off, saying *DANGER * DANGER * DANGER*. But another part of him wanted to lay there and accept the comfort that was being offered to him. There was something different about this. Something... almost warm, gentle that lead him to believe that this person wasn't Tyler. But that also kind of scared him. If not Tyler, then who was this? (A/N: Don't freak out, no, he did not lose his memory. He hasn't seen Gilan's face yet. And he's currently really upset and scared... so he's not gonna bother to see who it is...)

Neither of them knew how long they laid there like that, nor did they care. Eventually Will calmed down and his heart rate slowed back down to a normal pace.

"It... it h-hurts..." Will whimpered into Gilan's chest as another tremble ran through his body.

Gilan nearly jumped in surprise when he heard the small, unsteady voice. He hadn't expected the younger man to talk to him.

"What, Will? What hurts?"

"E-everything..." He cried, tears starting to form in his eyes once again.

"Shhh, it's okay. You want some pain medicine? It'll help..." Gilan said as he moved to get up.

"N-no! No don't l-leave me!" Will whined, grabbing at Gilan's shoulder, but suddenly realizing that he couldn't move.

His eyes went wide as they searched for the source of what was keeping him still, but he was unable to find it as the rope that tied him to the bed was hidden beneath the blankets. He gasped and pulled at his arms and legs, trying and failing to free them. Tears of fear sprung into his big brown eyes as torture weapons filled the room once more. Gilan turned to look at him when he heard the sharp intake of breath. He saw Will thrashing and realization crossed his handsome features. Will had noticed that he was tied down and freaked out. He went back to the bed and laid down beside Will again, this time quickly pulling him into a tight hug to stop him from rubbing his wrists raw or further injuring himself. Will immediately fought harder and started crying in fear that someone was going to hurt him. Between the rope holding him still and Gilan, he could barely move. But that certainly didn't stop him from trying.

"Shhh. It's alright, they're just to keep you still. I would never hurt you, I promise. Shhh..."

Will stopped moving after a while, too exhausted and hurt to continue. Even after he had stopped, Gilan stayed by his side, hugging him and offering whatever comfort he could. Eventually, he felt Will's body go limp in his arms and he knew the younger man had fallen asleep. He sighed but didn't move, not wanting to accidentally wake Will up or scare him. He reached up and gently ran his hand through the soft chestnut brown curls that sat atop his head. He wiped the remaining tears from Will's cheeks and put his arm back in its original position laying across Will's abdomen. He yawned hugely, suddenly realizing how tired he was. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep ever since Will's disappearance. He tried to keep his eyes open, but his eyelids seemed to get heavier and heavier as time went by. In the end he gave in, letting his eyes fall closed as he fell into the waiting arms of unconsciousness.

Little did they know, Halt stood just outside the door, watching the entire scene with tears in his eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: That was the fluffiest thing I have EVER written. This is actually the first time I've written fluff. Please review and tell me if it totally sucked, if you want more, etc. If you guys want more fluff, I will write more fluff because I actually kinda enjoyed writing this chapter. It was adorable. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I really need to know if I should put more fluff in this story... I probably should considering that like 99.9% of it is angst... oops...**


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello again! Okay, so you guys all seem to want Will/Gilan and Will/Halt fluff. That works! I can do that. Well... first we gotta deal with the whole poison issue, but I suppose I can try to do fluff/angst... or I could go with the original idea and just stab Will with Horace's sword... I dunno, just watch and see what happens! *evil laugh***

 **WARNING: There's some inappropriate content in this chappie... It doesn't go as far as you guys are probably thinking! It really doesn't! There's just some kissing... hehehe...**

 ***Chanelx is my muse! Yaaaay~***

* * *

Halt, Horace, and Malcolm sat at the kitchen table, each nursing a warm mug of coffee. Gilan was still asleep with Will in Halt's bedroom. Crowley was urgently needed back at Castle Araluen, so earlier that day he had headed off in that direction. He hadn't wanted to leave, especially not with Will so sick, but he really needed to get back to his post. His job was very important and needed to be kept up with. He had given Will and the rest of them his best wishes before going back to Castle Araluen to do his job.

 _His desk must be piled up with twice his height in paperwork by now,_ Halt thought with a smirk.

"I need one of you to do me a favor." Malcolm said seriously, staring intently at the table instead of meeting their worried gazes.

"What's wrong?"

"Why?"

"What do you need?"

He quickly put his hands up to stem the flow of questions that were sure to come.

He took a deep breath, then said, "Will... he... he's been poisoned..."

"What?!"

"Shhh! You're gonna wake him up!" He whisper yelled.

"How did he get poisoned? Was it Tyler?" Horace asked.

"Yes. He injected Will with a nasty poison known as Hemlock. Repeatedly, from what I've seen. It causes agonizing pain as well as hallucinations, which explains why he's been acting the way he has."

"But there's an antidote... right?"

"Yes, which brings me to why I need your help. If the poison is in his system for over a week, he'll die. It's only been about three days, so you have four left to get the antidote in him. You need to _hurry._ Since Tyler was using the poison as a form of torture, he should have had the antidote on him or somewhere nearby. It'll probably be on his person or in that shack he brought Will to. Which one of you is going?"

"I'll go." Halt said simply.

Horace gave him a look that said, _Not alone you're not._

"I'm going too." He said confidently.

"Horace, this needs to be a quick trip. If I don't get back in time, Will could die. No offense, but that four legged battering ram you call a horse isn't exactly the fastest thing on the planet."

"I know but-"

"I know you want to help. But think about it this way. You'll be staying here to help Gilan and Malcolm protect Will. What would they do if someone from Tyler's band of idiots blundered in here wanting to take Will? They'd need a bash and whacker like you to bash his head in, would they not?"

"...I... I suppose they would..."

"Then you're just the one for the job, aren't you?"

"Yes, Halt." He sighed sadly.

"Then it's settled. I'll leave at dawn tomorrow." Halt said, finishing his cup of coffee and putting the mug in the sink before going to get ready for bed.

* * *

 _Will ran as fast as he could. He heard the guards yelling behind him but kept going, knowing that he would get punished if they caught him. His legs burned from the strain but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment. His one and only goal was to get away. A thought hit him as he skidded around a corner. Where was Tyler? His stomach lurched sickeningly at the thought that he was probably coming after him. He had only managed to escape twice and hadn't gotten far on both occasions. If he didn't get away this time he was sure he would go insane. After a few minutes he could no longer hear the guards. That made him feel both nervous and relieved. Where had they gone? Had he actually lost them or were they moving around to cut him off?_

 _By now he was gasping for breath and covered in sweat, but he kept going, too afraid to stop. He turned another corner and had almost reached the door when a large amount of weight crashed into him, sending him sprawling. Spots appeared in his vision as his head made contact with the hard floor. The air was shoved from his lungs as he hit the floor and he was left gasping for air like a fish out of water. The person straddled his waist and pinned him to the floor. He struggled and fought like a wild animal but it didn't do any good. He tried to scream but the person had a hand over his mouth before he got the chance._ _He felt the person on top of him lean down and he panicked even more, immediately recognizing who it was because this had happened so many times before._

 _"Mmmmmmmm!" He screamed into the hand that held his mouth shut._

 _"I'm disappointed in you, Will. If you were smart, you would have realized by now that you're not going anywhere. You'll never leave this place. Besides, even if you did, wouldn't you miss me?" Tyler asked, pouting as he nipped and sucked at Will's exposed neck._

 _NO NO NO NO NO! This couldn't be happening... no! Get off of me you disgusting bastard!_

 _He struggled frantically, trying anything and everything to get Tyler off. He could already feel a bruise forming on his neck from all the biting and sucking. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He felt a cold hand run up his stomach and over his ribs. He shivered as goose bumps broke out over the skin there. He tried to move away but Tyler was a lot stronger than him and his attempts were futile. Tyler's lips moved up, away from his neck and closer to his face. He whimpered and turned his head away but Tyler viciously yanked it back toward him and used the strong grip he had on his jaw to hold his mouth open._

 _"Shhh..." He whispered as he licked the salty tears from Will's face._

 _His lips ventured further up until they find his and they met. His tongue slid into his mouth and roamed freely, sliding across the rows of teeth within and licking at Will's tongue. Will desperately tried to bite but Tyler's hand on his jaw prevented him from doing so. Suddenly he felt someone pulling at his shoulder. Who was that?_

 _"Will... wake up... Will!" A voice in the distance yelled._

 _Another tug at his shoulder. The voice grew louder and seemed to get closer. He whined and tried to move away from them, thinking that they wanted to do this to him too. Tyler growled and his grip on him tightened, causing him to cry harder._

 _Then... everything disappeared._

His eyes shot open to see someone on top of him, straddling his waist just as Tyler had.

"N-NOOO! L-leave me alone! P-please!" He screamed, trying to kick at them only to discover that his legs were tied down and tangled in blankets.

Oddly enough, his arms weren't tied down like they had been the last time he woke up. That didn't mean he could move them, though. Gilan had them pinned to the bed.

"Will, it was just a dream. Calm down... you're okay..." Gilan said, gently patting his cheeks with his free hand in an attempt to get him to snap out of it.

Instead it did the opposite. Will cried harder, tears racing down his cheeks in an endless river. He turned his head away and closed his eyes tight. His breathing sped up and he was border line hysterical.

 _Hes gonna make himself sick if he cries any harder..._ Gilan thought with a frown.

"N-no... don't t-touch me... don't touch m-me..." He whimpered loudly, tossing and turning in an effort to get Gilan off of him.

"Shhh, it's okay. It was just a dream. You're safe."

Gilan slowly slid off of him and laid down beside him instead. Will turned away and he could only see the back of his head. He sighed sadly, wondering if his friend would ever get back to normal. When Will didn't do anything but sniffle and cry for next few minutes, Gilan got tired of hearing his friend so upset and moved closer to him. He slowly slid his arms around his waist and rested his head on his shoulder. He felt Will cringe but didn't let go, content to just sit there with him. Will didn't stop crying, but he slowed down a bit and slowly began to relax as he realized that Gilan wasn't going to do anything to him.

 _Why isn't he hurting me? Everyone else seems to want to..._

Will slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. The room looked vaguely familiar...

 _It's Halt's room._

Oh... that's why. Then who was holding him? Fear struck his heart when he assumed it was Tyler. It usually was in situations like this. He was curious as to who it was and to be honest, his life couldn't get any worse, so what bad could turning around do? He slowly turned around and looked up. His heart nearly flew out of his chest when he saw who it was. It was Gilan! He could already feel tears of relief prickling in his eyes. Gilan smiled at him and they fell down his cheeks.

Gilan pulled him closer to himself and he finally broke down. It was too much. Having all those bad things happen to him and then suddenly realizing that he was safe. He snuggled closer to Gilan and buried his face in his chest, letting the tears fall freely as he tightly wrapped his arms around his older friend. Gilan smiled to himself when he felt Will hug him back. The grip Will had on him was border lining painful but he didn't care. A pang of sadness hit his heart when he realized that Will was probably holding onto him so tightly because he felt like he was going to disappear, which was true. At this point that was Will's biggest fear. He was overjoyed that Will recognized him, though. He knew they had just taken a large step forward. And for the first time since they had gotten Will back, he had hope that everything was going to be okay.

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 **A/N: Like? Dislike? TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS! Maybe I'll do a Will/Gilan pairing... does anyone want that? Would that be okay? If you guys want me to I will, but if you don't it's fine. It was just a thought I had... cause they're so cute together... Seriously tho, do you guys want a Will/Gilan pairing? TELL MEEEEE! :)**


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: Okay okay, fine guys, I won't have a Will/Gilan pairing. Ugh. Rood. I will keep the 'bromance' though, as some of you call it. Lol, that was funny. I laughed when I read those reviews. Btw, I don't know where you guys live, but it was 1:00 in the morning here when you reviewed... hehehe...**

* * *

Gilan sighed in his sleep and tightened his hold on Will, who was laying beside him. They had both fallen asleep shortly after Will had realized he was safe. Will tensed when he felt arms wrapped around him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up, jumping when he saw that a person was there. That woke Gilan up and he yawned and looked down at his friend with a smile. After a few moments Will seemed to realise where he was and calmed down. He yawned cutely and Gilan smiled and poked his nose. (A/N: OMG WHY ARE THEY SO ADORABLE?! *has seizure*)

"How are you feeling?"

"Everything h-hurts..." Will rasped, closing his eyes. He was clearly still exhausted.

"I'll get you some pain medicine."

To his surprise, Will simply nodded and hugged his pillow. It was adorable. Usually his friend would have objected, but now he seemed too tired to do so. He smiled and left the room in search of Malcolm. Instead he found Horace, who was sitting on the couch sharpening his sword.

"Hey, have you seen Malcolm?"

The warrior looked up and smiled. "Yes, he's drinking coffee on the veranda."

"Thanks," he said, walking to the door.

"Wait... how's Will?"

"Sore. He's a bit better though, mentally I mean. He finally realized that he was safe last night."

"That's good."

"Yeah, but I have to hurry. I came out to get him medicine..."

"Ah okay, have fun."

Gilan rolled his eyes and went out onto the veranda. Malcolm gave him a warm smile when he sat down. Then a thought came to him.

"Where's Halt? I haven't seen him yet..."

"Oh, I forgot you didn't know yet. Tyler kind of... poisoned Will. Halt left early this morning to get the antidote. I would've told you, but you and Will were asleep and I didn't want to bother you."

Gilan's eyes were huge.

"What kind of poison? What does it do?"

"Hemlock. It causes hallucinations and agonizing pain. Speaking of which, you'll probably be needing more pain medicine for Will about now, won't you?" Malcolm asked with a raised eyebrow.

Gilan nodded. "Yes please."

Malcolm sighed and stood, walking stiffly back inside. His knee popped when he stood.

 _Being old is hard..._

He went to his medicine bag and pulled out a syringe, then filled it with pain medicine (A/N: Sorry, I don't know what kind of medicines they had back then, so I'm just gonna say pain medicine).

"I'm gonna warn you, this will probably knock him out for a while..."

"Eh, he needs the rest anyways." Gilan shrugged as he quietly opened the door.

Will was curled up on the bed. At first they thought he was sleeping, but then they heard him sniffle. Gilan rushed over to him, eyes searching for injuries.

"Will? What's wrong?" He asked frantically.

Will looked up at him with red rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks. Gilan's heart nearly stopped at the sight... he couldn't stand to see him cry. Will cried out and doubled over, his arms tightening around his midsection.

"H-h-hurts..." He whimpered.

Malcolm sighed. He should've given him his medicine earlier. If he had, Will wouldn't be in pain right now, or at least not as much. He stepped forward and tried to grab Will's arm, jumping and letting go when the younger man screamed in terror.

"Here, give it to me." Gilan said, reaching for the syringe.

Malcolm handed it to him without question and left the room. Gilan laid down beside Will and took his arm in his lap. Will didn't move. He mentally shrugged and injected the medicine into his arm. Will immediately whined and started crying again. He put the empty syringe on the nightstand and wrapped his arms around his friend.

"Hey, it's okay. It's just medicine, it'll make you feel better." He said quietly, resting his head on Will's now bony shoulder.

Will's whole body was tense, but slowly started to relax as the medicine started taking effect. After about 20 minutes of laying there in silence, a sound interrupted the monotony. The sound of soft snoring.

* * *

Halt sighed as the silence seemed the cloud around him. It was torturous. He had Abelard, but besides him there was no one to talk to. For the first time going on a trip, Halt was bored. Usually there was _always_ something to do. Like hunting down Genovesans or rescuing Alyss from a creepy castle. Now there was nothing but the tall dark trees and the path on which Abelard galloped.

He had been riding for a day already, and still didn't seem to be getting any closer to his destination. It felt like that, anyways. Although that's how long trips always were, he knew. Except this wasn't a long trip, not compared to the ones he'd been on in the past. Maybe it felt so long because someone's life depended on his return...

 _Stop thinking about such depressing things!_ Abelard complained, snorting and shaking his head in disapproval.

"But they're true..." He protested.

 _This is why you shouldn't be left alone._

"That's not a very nice thing to say. You should be ashamed, picking on your master."

 _Master, eh? That's a new one._

"What do you mean new? It's not new at all."

 _Well I certainly haven't heard it before. Therefore, it's new._

"I just can't win with you, can I?" Halt sighed.

 _Nope, suck it up buttercup._

Halt sighed and continued on for a few minutes. Then he realized what his horse had been doing. Abelard had been creating a distraction to get his mind off of Will.

 _You're only **just** noticing that? Who are you and what have you done with Halt?_

Halt let a small smile show. He looked up and could see a small building in the distance.

"Looks like we're here."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! There wasn't too much angst in this chappie. But that's okay, cause Gilan and Will were totally adorable. I'm sorry if Halt and Abelard were OOC... I am pretty unfamiliar with Abelard's attitude. Eh, all I can say is sorry if it sucked. Lol, please review! :)**


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hi! Sorry for kinda neglecting this story lately... the other one's at a really exciting point and everyone's begging me to update. Plus that one's easier to write. I don't know why I have trouble writing this one, it's probably because I'm scared I'll mess it up again. Oops... anywho, on with the angst! I meant story... Whatever.**

 **WARNING: There is gore- Tyler's rotting corpse.**

* * *

Gilan stayed in bed for another half hour, just to make sure Will was really out. Then he got up and went to find Malcolm, who was currently sitting on the couch reading a book. He looked up when he entered the room. Horace was taking a nap in Will's old room, so it was just them.

"Did you need something, Gilan? Is Will alright?" He asked, brows knitted in concern.

He shook his head and sat down.

"No, he's asleep. I just wanted to ask, do you need to check on his stitches or anything else? Because now would be the time and I don't want them getting infected. He's got enough to deal with now as it is..."

"Oh, sure. I meant to check on them earlier but I suppose I forgot."

They went to Will's room and Gilan sat and watched while Malcolm cleaned the wounds and changed the bandages. Will never moved a muscle. He couldn't help but stare at all of the scars. They were everywhere... Each one was different, too. Some were big, some were small. Some deep, some shallow. They were all different shapes and sizes. It didn't take long for Malcolm to finish. They cleaned up and left Will alone so he could get some much needed rest. They talked for a while, mostly about what they had been doing lately and how Will had been found.

"How... how long does he have left?" Gilan asked hesitantly.

"About two and a half days now. I hope Halt gets back soon."

Gilan sighed and looked at the floor.

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

Halt slowly entered the untidy shack, bow in hand, an arrow nocked on the string. As soon as he entered the room, the smell hit him like a wall. The smell of a rotting corpse. He covered his mouth and nose. That was absolutely disgusting. Tyler's corpse lay in the same place as he had left it, a swarm of flies hovering over it as well as a variety of other decomposers. One of the legs was gone, a trail of blood leading from the corpse to a hole in the rotting wood of the wall. It looked like a large predator had fed off of it.

 _I'd better hurry before it comes back for more._

He walked over to the decomposing pile of organs and limbs and knelt down, slinging his bow over his shoulder and returning the arrow to its correct place. The mice and bugs scurried away and waited anxiously for him to leave so they could continue to feast. The smell was a million times worse, but he didn't move away. He had to get the antidote for Will, who happened to be more important to him than a smelly old corpse. He patted the pockets down and searched for a vial. His hand landed on a hard object and he dug it out of the jacket pocket. It was a vial with an amber colored liquid in it. He looked at the label and it said ' _Hemlock_ _Antidote'._ He heard a twig snap outside and turned to look in the direction of the sound. He waited several minutes. When there weren't any other sounds, he turned back around.

 _Probably just a rabbit or a deer._

He smiled triumphantly to himself, a huge weight seemed to have lifted from his shoulders. A wave of relief washed over him and he stood up, heading for the door. Then a vicious growl sounded from the opposite side of the room. A large gray wolf stood just in front of the hole in the wall. Fresh blood covered its muzzle and teeth. He slowly turned, grabbing a throwing knife from the sheath at his waist while he had the chance. He cursed himself for being caught off guard. He should've known that twig snapping wasn't just a rabbit. It's never a rabbit. Why can't it ever just be a rabbit?!

The wolf lunged at him, teeth bared as it snarled furiously. He pulled his arm back and brought it forward, launching the razor sharp knife end over end at the blood thirsty animal. It yelped in pain as the knife buried itself in its front leg. Sadly that didn't stop it, only slowing it down a bit. Just as Halt removed his saxe from the sheath, it leapt into the air, it's teeth latching onto his arm before he had the chance to stab it. He screamed as he fell to the floor, pinned under the ravenous animal. He locked his arm and kept it there, so the wolf couldn't get at his face. He could feel its teeth ripping through skin and muscle with each movement. It was agony. His saxe lay on the floor just inches away. He strained and reached for it, reflex tears blurring his vision. He heard Abelard neighing in distress outside and moving around. He would've felt bad, had he not been in this position.

His fingers touched the handle and he moved toward it as much as he could with a 100 pound wolf on his arm. Finally he grabbed it. He rammed it forward with as much force as he could muster, straight through the wolf's heart. Blood went everywhere, coming from both the dying wolf and his arm. The wolf choked for a few seconds then slumped to the ground, dead as a doornail. Halt shoved the beast off him using his uninjured arm and nearly yelled in pain when the motion moved his other one. He looked at it and felt nausea rise in his stomach. Large teeth marks were prominent through the sea of blood. There was torn muscle and he couldn't move it without screaming in pain. A thought found its way to his half dead brain.

 _Where's the antidote?_

His eyes widened in panic and he heaved himself into a sitting position, ignoring his throbbing arm for the moment. He frantically looked around until his eyes landed on the small vial. It was laying on the floor beside him, completely unharmed. Despite the situation, he laughed. At least _something_ good came out of this. He tore a strip off of his cloak and wrapped it tightly around his arm, wincing as the pain spiked. He stood and a wave of dizziness assaulted his vision. He stumbled but was able to regain his balance after a moment. He hurriedly grabbed the antidote and ripped his throwing knife from the wolf's leg before heading outside. He was covered in blood, both his and the wolf's. Abelard was freaking out. He stumbled over to him and put a hand on his nose, trying to calm him down a bit. Abelard snorted and stomped his feet.

"I'm okay."

 _Have you seen yourself lately?! You are most certainly **not** okay! _

Halt chuckled and put a leg in the stirrup. It was difficult to pull himself up, but he did it after about five minutes of trying. He made sure he had the antidote with him and that it wasn't cracked or anything.

 _See?! It took you five minutes just to mount!_

"Just take me home, would you? So grumpy..." He sighed.

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 **A/N: That was really fun. Like seriously! Lol, I know that probably shouldn't have been fun... but I couldn't just have him go and come back with no problems whatsoever! What kind of story does that?! Please review! :)**


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hi guys! I've been trying to update this story more often... I've done a bang up job so far, haven't I?! Lol, enjoy.**

 ***Chanelx is my muse!***

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Horace was sitting at the table sharpening his sword. He sighed sadly. Will was looking worse by the day. He hoped Halt would return soon... Gilan walked our of Halt's room with a yawn. He had bloodshot eyes with dark circles under them. He sat at the table and put his head down, his eyes drifting closed and his breath evening out.

"Well good morning to you too." Horace laughed, running a hand through his friend's blonde hair.

Gilan whined and batted at his hand, murmuring something about black bears.

"Did you not get any sleep?" He asked.

"Nooo..." Came the tired reply.

Horace chuckled and asked, "How's Will?"

Gilan sat up and glared at him. "Why do you think I was up all night?!"

Horace shrugged and went to look for food. He was so hungry... That's when he heard it. Hoofbeats. And they were getting closer at a rapid pace. He grabbed his sword and rushed to the door. He stopped in his tracks at the sight that met his eyes. It was Halt, covered in blood that looked like it was coming from his arm, which was wrapped tightly with a piece of his cloak. He rushed over to help him, dropping his sword in the process. Malcolm, who had been alerted by the noise, came out the door, then rushed back in to get his medical supplies ready at the sight of Halt.

Horace barely made it in time to catch Halt before he slipped from the saddle, unconscious. Abelard was freaking out, neighing and rearing up. Gilan ran out and, knowing that he could take care of Halt, grabbed Abelard's bridle and started talking to him and patting his nose. Once Abelard had calmed down a bit, he slowly led him to the lean-to to get him cleaned up and get him some food. Horace looked at Halt's arm, but couldn't tell how bad it was yet. He picked him up and hurried back to the house, grabbing his sword on the way there. When they got inside, Malcolm already had everything set up and was waiting for him. The healer beckoned him over and gestured to the cot.

"Set him there." He said, getting a disinfectant ready.

Horace gently set him down and slid the belt that held his saxe and throwing knives in it off. He didn't want Halt to mistake them for anyone else and stab one of them... Malcolm removed the piece of cloak from his arm and could tell it was infected just from the smell. He cut more of the cloak away to get at the wound. It smelled putrid and looked even worse. Pus oozed out of the wound, as well as blood. There was dirt and grime all around it, as well as in it. It looked awful.

"Ugh. That smells horrid..." Horace muttered.

Malcolm ignored him and slid a needle for an IV into Halt's uninjured arm. There was antibiotics in the IV, to help fight off the infection. He leaned forward and felt his forehead. He was burning up.

"Horace, go get a bucket and a washcloth. We need to get his fever down."

He nodded and ran off to do as he was told. Malcolm sighed and poured disinfectant on the wound. Halt moaned in pain, but otherwise didn't react. It didn't take long to get it cleaned out, and when he did, he was horrified to see teeth marks in the deep wound and was worried about rabies. That had killed off so many people and if the animal that bit Halt had it, he might as well be a dead man walking. He pushed his worry aside for now and threaded a needle. The wound needed stitches.

Horace came back with the stuff he had asked for and he instructed him to dab at Halt's face, neck and chest with the washcloth. He nodded and got to work on lowering his fever, while Malcolm started stitching. When the needle went through, Halt stirred and whined through his teeth. He kept going, trying to work quickly but carefully. Halt continued to whine, but didn't do anything else... until the sixth stitch. He pulled his arm away from Malcolm, nearly tearing his stitches out even though they weren't all in yet.

"Halt, sit still!" Malcolm pleaded, pulling his arm back into his lap and holding it there.

On the seventh stitch, he flinched and a tear rolled down his cheek. He was almost done, just a few more... After a few minutes, Gilan returned and sat down.

"Is he gonna be okay?" He asked, his voice filled to the brim with concern.

"Yes, as long as the infection goes away." Malcolm replied, applying a salve the to the wound before wrapping Halt's forearm in clean gauze.

They sat in silence for a few moments before something came to their minds.

"Wait, did he get the antidote?!" Gilan asked, looking down at Halt.

He didn't wait for an answer before he started to pat down his pockets. Nothing was there. He nearly stopped breathing in panic. No no no... Horace came over and grabbed Halt's uninjured hand and pried it open with difficulty. There in his palm, sat a vial that said 'antidote' on it. They had never been so relieved to see that word in their lives. Malcolm examined it and retrieved a syringe, then withdrew some of the amber colored liquid from the vial. He tapped the syringe a few times to get rid of any air bubbles before heading to Halt's room.

When he entered, Will was curled up on the bed sleeping peacefully. He quietly crept over to him and grabbed his arm and injected the antidote into him. Will, who had been sedated earlier, didn't react. Not that he had expected him to, but it was almost sad, the way he didn't react as he usually would have. He just looked so... lifeless. After watching him for a few minutes to make sure nothing went wrong, he left the room and shut the door behind himself. Gilan and Horace looked at him, waiting for answers.

"We'll know if it worked when he wakes up." He said, cleaning all the medical supplies up.

They sighed in unison and Horace stood.

"Do you want me to move him to a bed?" He asked, gesturing to the unconscious Halt.

Malcolm nodded and continued to clean.

"Just be careful not to rip the IV out." He warned.

Horace picked Halt up, careful of his arm, and brought him to Will's old room because Will was currently in his room. He set him down and covered him up with a blanket, making sure he hadn't accidentally ripped the IV out before leaving the room. When he reached the living room, Gilan was passed out on the couch. He had no idea where Malcolm had gone. He smiled and gently laid him down, covering him with a blanket as well. He watched him sleep for a few moments to make sure he would be okay, before heading outside. He sat on the veranda and sighed.

Now all they could do was wait.

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 **A/N: Hehehe, that sucked. Sorry peoples... please review? I love you guys... byebye! ;)**


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hi... sorry guys, I know I haven't updated in forever! But instead of giving you a bunch of excuses, I shall continue with the story, which by the way, is sadly coming to an end. But this isn't the last chapter... there should be at least one more, lol.**

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 **2 Dreadfully Long Days Later...**

Will yawned and sat up, scanning the room as he went. His ribs burned in protest, but he ignored them. No one else was in the room, but he could hear the faint buzz of low voices outside. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and that's when he realized that he felt better. Much better than he had before he went to sleep... how odd. He shrugged mentally and nervously peeked out the crack in the door. His eyes lit up when he saw Gilan and Horace sitting on the couch. The door was only open a bit and it restricted his vision, so he was unable to see Malcolm and Halt on the other side.

He went to step out of the room, then hesitated, wondering if he would get in trouble if he did. His stomach growled and he realized how hungry he was. He wondered idly how long it had been since he'd eaten something. Gilan sensed they were being watched and turned around.

"Will? It's alright, you can come out." He said, smiling encouragingly at him.

He opened the door a bit wider and slid out into the living room, slowly approaching his friends. He stopped a few feet away from them and awkwardly stood there waiting for something to happen.

"How are you feeling?" Malcolm asked curiously.

He thought about it for a moment, then gave them a small smile.

"Hungry..." He said shyly.

Smiles spread across their faces and they laughed at him. Their laughs eminated from the intense feeling of relief that they all felt. Will had actually _smiled_ and said he was hungry! Now they were certain that the antidote had worked. This was a huge step in a good direction.

"Here, sit down. I'll get you some bacon and eggs." Horace said happily.

He nodded and sat down with them, turning to look at Halt. He noticed he was paler then usual and had a thick bandage wrapped around his forearm. That worried him. He wondered what had happened. Even though Will was unaware of this, Halt was actually doing much better than he was a few days ago. His fever was small, almost nonexistent with all the antibiotics Malcolm had been giving him. His stitches were supposed to come out in 3 days and they currently looked fine. All in all, considering the circumstances, he was doing well.

"I'm glad you're feeling okay." Halt said quietly, trying to force the tears in his eyes back.

He was the most relieved of them all. He had been so worried because Will was like a son to him and losing him would be the worst thing imaginable. He rarely showed it, but he truly loved him and enjoyed being with him. He leaned forward and hugged him, the tears running down his cheeks. He was surprised when Will hugged him back. After a moment he released him and Horace brought Will a plate of food, with one for himself as well, of course. He was starving!

"So... does anything hurt?" Malcolm asked, wondering if he needed to give him any medicine.

He nodded.

"My ribs and arm like... ache, and I have a headache. But other than that I feel okay." He replied around a mouthful of bacon.

Gilan took a large sip of coffee and he stared longingly at the mug, breathing in the heavenly scent that rose from it.

"Can... can I have coffee?" He asked, giving them puppy dog eyes.

They shrugged and looked to Malcolm for an answer.

"I suppose so, I don't see how it could do any harm. Oh! Will, I almost forgot. Some of your stitches need to be removed today. Finish your breakfast."

He nodded and accepted the mug of coffee Halt offered him. He took a long drink and set the mug on the table.

"Whoo, that was awesome. Haven't had any coffee in like... a year." He said, making a face.

None of them could believe how different he was acting. It was almost... normal. It was weird, but good at the same time. They made small talk while Will finished his breakfast, then Malcolm started getting his supplies ready. He needed tweezers, disinfectant, and scissors. He laid them out on the table and poured some disinfectant on the tweezers and scissors while he was waiting. Will had had stitches removed before, and although the experience was uncomfortable, he didn't mind it. He took off his shirt as Malcolm instructed and blushed as all eyes turned to him. He squirmed uncomfortably and they noticed his uneasiness and looked away.

"Okay, I have to remove 5 sets of stitches so it's a lot, but it won't take long if you sit still." Malcolm explained as he snipped the first stitch and pulled it free with the tweezers.

Will nodded silently and examined the room while he worked. It felt weird but didn't hurt. He removed a set in his upper right shoulder and one in his lower back. Then he cleaned them with the disinfectant. That part stung and he winced, but sat still.

"Turn around for me, would you? The other ones I need to remove are in your chest and face."

He turned around to face him and sighed. This was boring, but at least he was nearly halfway done. Two more sets were removed from his chest and the last one was in his face. That one was the most uncomfortable because the skin in the facial area is more sensitive. Plus he had to sit face to face with Malcolm the whole time, which was awkward. But it only took a few minutes, then he cleaned it and started putting his medical tools away.

"Thank you. How many more sets are there?" Will asked curiously.

"Ummm... I think there are around 10 more, all of which will need to be removed over the next several days."

He nodded and yawned, glancing out the window at the sun. It was only around 12:30 in the afternoon.

"I'm gonna go take a nap. I'm tired." He mumbled, standing and shuffling into his room.

"Okay, see you later." Horace said, a huge smile crossing his features.

"Oh my god! He's so much better!" Gilan exploded as soon as Will's door closed.

"I know! The antidote definitely worked!"

"I'm surprised he actually ate something." Malcolm said with a smile.

Halt just grinned at them, not one for talking much. They spent the rest of the day discussing how far Will had come and how happy they were.

Today was a good day.

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 **A/N: Happy chapter! Lol, I'll probably do a time skip and the next chapter will include stuffs... although I don't know which stuffs. I'm open to ideas, if anyone has any! Please review! :)**


	22. Epilogue

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been back in a while! Also sorry for the time skip I'm gonna do... this is the final chapter. After I'm done with this, I'm gonna rewrite 'Captured' A.K.A 'Numbers' because it's horribly written. And this time, I'm going to finish it... sorry for that by the way, lol. But it** ** _was_** **my first story and in my defense, I've seen worse. Bye! Enjoy the fully recovered Will.**

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 **Three Months Later...**

Will sighed in satisfaction as his throwing knife buried itself in the center of the target with a _thunk._ It had taken him a while to regain his skills, but with a lot of practice, he had finally done it. He was excited because today was the Harvest Festival.

He had seen his friends again, but only on a few occasions, as they were usually busy. But today they were all gonna meet up at Halt's cabin and eat food that Jenny was going to bring. His mouth watered at the mere thought of it.

He had gotten much better in the past few months. He only had nightmares every once in a while now, as opposed to every single night. He had panic attacks every once in a while as well, but that was only natural after all the things that had happened to him. But now, he could honestly say he felt better. There was no sense of impending dread that had stayed with him, haunting him with thoughts of what Tyler would do to him if he ever came back. But Halt had reassured him many times that Tyler was dead, and therefore, would never come back.

He gathered his throwing knives and placed them in his sheath, then went to the lean to. He smiled when Tug neighed a greeting, stomping his feet a few times as his ears pricked up. He laughed and hugged his neck, happy to have him around.

He remembered the day he got him and smiled when he pictured Tug bucking him off. It hadn't been funny at the time, but now he could laugh about it. Tug bumped his shoulder with his muzzle and snorted.

 _Bucking you off was fun._

Will made a face and said, "You enjoyed that?"

 _Yup, it was fun._

"Well that's a mean thing to say..."

"Hi Will!" Alyss said happily, gracefully striding over to him and giving him a hug.

He smiled and gave her a peck on the lips.

"I've missed you!" He grinned.

"Same to you. You weren't talking to your horse again were you, dear?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Excuse you, my horse has a name."

"Oh really? I was unaware." She teased.

"His name is Tug." Will sighed, patting said horse on the head.

"Well I say we go eat some food. I'm famished."

Will raised an eyebrow.

"Must you always use huge confusing words?"

"Yes. Yes I must."

He smiled and shook his head. He would never get the last word, not only with his horse, but also with his fiance. Yes, they were engaged. Will grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers in hers, making her smile. They went around to the yard, in front of the veranda. Everyone else was there now- Jenny, Horace, Gilan, Halt, Evanlyn, Crowley and George.

Sadly, Lady Pauline had been busy and unable to attend. They had laid a blanket on the ground and now everyone was sitting there, food being spread out across the blanket. They were met with several smiles, a few of which turned into mischievous grins when they saw that they were holding hands. They sat down beside each other and everyone dug into the food without further delay.

For the rest of the evening, they ate delicious food and talked about how things were going. It was so nice to be with everyone again. He didn't have a biological family, but he felt that these people, his sort of... adopted brothers and sisters (except Alyss... it would be a bad idea to get engaged to your sister, lol) were his family. And honestly, he couldn't ask for more than that. They were always there for him when he needed them. No matter what happened, they understood and made him feel better. He was completely comfortable around them and wouldn't trade his friends for anything. Not even George, as tempting as it was sometimes.

And for the first time in the past year, he could honestly say-

He was happy.

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 **A/N: Ewww... I know it's terrible. Guys, I'm SO sorry. I had no idea how to end this! Aaaahhhh! So frustrating! Anyways... I guess I'm done with this story now. It was fun writing this, and even though I didn't update all that often, I enjoyed it. I hope you guys did too! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and supported this story! If anyone has any suggestions on one shots or short stories to write for this fandom, you are welcome you PM me or leave your idea in a review! I'm always open to suggestions, so if you have a good idea don't hesitate to contact me! I won't bite, I swear! Lol, but this has certainly been an adventure. Thank you for staying with me this long! Bye! ;D**


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